“Send them to a boot camp or into prison” - Rockhampton crime victim speaks out

The owner of a remote control car club has called for harsher punishments for criminals after having being repeatedly hit by thieves in Rockhampton.

A remote car hobby club in Depot Hill has been broken into by alleged thieves four times over a two-week period.
The losses from the robberies include a ride-on mower, a box trailer and a variety of toolings.
Rockhampton Remote Control Car Club ex-president Jason Toon has been involved with the club for four years and said that break-ins are a regular occurrence.
“We get broken into every year - this year’s just been worse. We’ve had eight break-ins [in 2024],” Mr Toon said.

Mr Toon’s post detailing the alleged break-ins was shared 67 times on Facebook.

Rockhampton Radio Control Car Club posted on Facebook to call for justice after repeated break-ins

Mr Toon said that criminals need to be punished more harshly.
“[Criminals need] severe punishment. You can’t just give them a monetary fine and send them on their way,” Mr Toon said.
“They’re just getting a smack on the wrist and let go.”

He said they no longer report the incidents to police due to a lack of evidence.
“We did report it previously, but right now there is probably no point. The hardest part is that [police] can’t get video footage, they can’t get fingerprints, so for us it is a bit of a waste of time to deal with that,” Mr Toon said.

He also spoke about the mental health impact of break-ins for the 25 members of the club.
“We’ve got 25 members at the moment. For some of them, it’s their only place to get out and mingle with people,” Mr Toon said.
“It’s a big mental health thing.”

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said police are not currently investigating any stealing incidents at 500 Quay Street.