Crime data for Rockhampton, Gladstone, Yeppoon, Emerald and Biloela shopping centres
Shopping centres across Central Queensland have become hotbeds of criminal activity, ranging from petty theft to serious assault. It comes as new police data reveals where the most dangerous shopping centres are located – and who owns them. Full list here.
Rockhampton
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New police figures reveal the scourge of crime at Central Queensland’s most popular shopping centres, as retail leaders say crime is costing the industry billions every year.
New data released by Queensland Police lays bare the number of reported crimes – including assault, theft, and trespassing – taking place in the vicinity of major shopping centres.
We can reveal that Stockland Rockhampton has the highest numbers of reported incidents across Central Queensland’s major hubs over the past year, with almost 150 thefts and at least six assaults.
It comes as leaders within the retail space say crimes such as theft and vandalism add insult to injury in the shadow of lockdowns and the pandemic.
Australian Retailers Association CEO, Paul Zahra said theft inside Queensland shopping centres peaked in January 2020 and as the economy begins to recover, crime is returning to retail hubs.
“Across the country, retail crime costs billions of dollars each year – everything from robberies to vandalism and it’s incredibly disappointing to see these types of incidents, especially with the difficult trading conditions many businesses have been confronted with over the past two years,” Mr Zahra said.
“With the worst of the Covid restrictions now over, businesses have been ramping up their trade and we’ve seen the shop stealing numbers rise once again, which is concerning but not surprising,” he said.
Here’s the list of Central Queensland shopping centres with some of the largest clusters of criminal activity.
ROCKHAMPTON
Stockland
As one of Central Queensland’s largest shopping centres, it is no surprise that it also the site with the highest number of reported crimes. Stockland Rockhampton had 370 reported offences in the past year, with 178 theft offences investigated by police.
The shopping centre and surrounds, owned and operated by Stockland Corporation Limited, also had 24 assaults reported to police, 39 good order offences, and a number of drug and weapon related charges.
A Stockland spokeswoman said the business took the safety and security of its customers, staff and contractors seriously.
“Our Town Centre onsite security and centre management teams respond to any reports of antisocial behaviour quickly and liaise with local police where appropriate,” the spokeswoman said.
“In addition, our teams receive regular training to ensure the safety of our customers and management of issues are appropriately handled.”
Queensland Police officers regularly patrol the centre, particularly during busy periods and on Thursday evenings for ‘late night shopping’ and there have been calls for a permanent police beat to be established in the centre.
Northside Plaza
At Rockhampton’s North Side Plaza, which is a part of the Woolworths Group Portfolio, crime map data shows a cluster of 197 offences in the past 12 months.
Ten of these offences were assault, 86 offences were theft related, 44 were fraud, there were also seven weapon related offences and 17 good order offences.
Allenstown Square
On Rockhampton’s south side, Allenstown Plaza, which is owned and operated by Charter Hall, has a cluster of 42 offences in the past 12 months.
Four of these offences were assault, six were fraud and 22 were theft related.
Parkhurst
Back over on Rockhampton’s north side, the Parkhurst Town Centre, which is owned and operated by AHC Limited, had a cluster of 45 offences.
One of which was trespass and two were property damage. There were also 36 theft related offences and four frauds.
City Centre Plaza
At City Centre Plaza, there was a cluster of 26 offences. One of these was a robbery, with another weapons related offence and two assaults while 19 of the offences in the cluster were theft related.
A spokesperson for City Centre Plaza, which is owned and operated by Mirvac, said the team worked hard to make the centre a comfortable and friendly place to be at any hour of the day or night.
“Our shoppers are always safe. We work hard to make City Centre Plaza a comfortable, friendly place to be at any hour of the day or night,” the spokesperson said.
“This includes a full-time on-site security presence, including night patrols. We’ve also recently upgraded our CCTV systems, and we work with our retailers and security to communicate quickly and effectively if there is an issue.
“We’re one of the best-placed shopping centres in Rockhampton to feel safe – after all, the police station is only a few hundred metres away.”
GLADSTONE
Stockland
As Gladstone’s largest shopping centre, it is also of little surprise that Stockland has attracted the highest number of reported crimes, including theft, assault, robbery, and trespassing.
In the past year, there have been 145 reported thefts in the surrounding area, with six assaults, two robberies, and a dozen drug and weapon related offences.
Gladstone Central Shopping Centre
The centre located adjacent to the Dawson Hwy, which is managed by CBRE, was the location of a number of crimes last year, primarily theft.
There were 20 thefts reported to police as well as at least six assaults, five weapons act offences and two robberies.
EMERALD
Central Highlands
Police data reveals there were 21 crimes reported at the shopping centre, which is managed by SCA Property Group, in the past year, with 11 thefts, three good order offences, two property damage charges, and an assault.
The Plaza @ Emerald
There were 26 crimes reported to police in the area surrounding the shopping centre, which is owned and operated by Sentinel Group Australia, in the past 12 months, including seven thefts, two trespasses and an assault.
BILOELA
Shoppingworld
There were 10 reported police incidents at the Biloela hub, which is managed by McConaghy Group, including three good order offences, three thefts, two unlawful entries and a trespassing charge.
YEPPOON
Yeppoon Central
According to the Queensland Police crime map Yeppoon Central, which is managed by Lancini Property Group, has a cluster of 15 offences in the past 12 months.
Nine of these were theft and two were frauds. Other offences included trespassing and property damage.
GRACEMERE
Shoppingworld
Gracemere’s Shoppingworld, which is owned and operated by McConaghy Shopping Centres Pty Ltd, only had 13 police incidents reported in the past 12 months, however, it had a comparatively high two assaults.
The other crimes included four thefts, three good order offences, and one unlawful entry.
In contrast, the hotel across the road had 96 offences reported in the same period, with 78 thefts and two assaults.
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