Premier pledges to launch 10 new police beats in youth crime blitz

Premier Steven Miles will attempt to open ten new police beats if elected, despite 42 beats closing since Labor has been in power.

Premier Steven Miles outside a Police Beat in Townsville. Pic: Adam Head

Premier Steven Miles will attempt to open ten new police beats if elected, despite 42 beats closing since Labor has been in power.

Mr Miles on Friday said closure decisions had rested with the police service.

“Operational decisions are made by the police,” he said.

“But what we’re saying is we want to see more of them reopened.

“This is the government saying we want to see a return to more static police beats, and we’re allocating funding for ten more but we’re also supporting the police at the mobile police beats.”

The government set a target of delivering 25 mobile police beats, 20 of which have been delivered.

Mr Miles said the new beats, and mobile beats, would be adequately staffed with newly recruited officers and transfers from existing police stations.

“We’re on track to meet recruitment targets,” he said.

Police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler at the Harbourtown police beat. Photograph: Jason O'Brien

A total $30m has been allocated to delivering the ten new beats.

Labor is yet to release the full list of locations for each police beat.

Mr Miles announced the new police beats – all to be staffed with two officers and two police liaisons or school support officers – on Thursday while in Townsville.

“These 10 new police beats will offer a co-responder model, combining frontline police with liaison and support officers, meaning we can deliver a tailored response based on community and need,” Mr Miles he said on Thursday.

“It builds on a successful early intervention program delivered in shopping centres to de-escalate risky behaviours and reconnect young people with education.

“Queensland kids are good kids and we are starting to turn a corner, but there will always be more to do.”

But the Premier’s multimillion-dollar community safety election pledge to reopen police beats across the state has been slammed as “desperate”.

The announcement is believed to include one police beat at Willows Shopping Centre in Townsville if Mr Miles is re-elected.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the same shopping centre had a police beat, which was one of 33 closed statewide over the last 5 years. The Queensland Police Service’s annual reports show 43 police beats have been closed in total since July 2016, including one at the state’s largest shopping centre, Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast.

The Courier-Mail asked the Premier whether he thought it was misleading to announce a police beat at Willows Shopping Centre at Townsville as “new” when the commitment, if delivered, would see one reopen at the centre.

A spokesman referred us to a previous statement made by Steven Miles on Friday morning, in which he said the police beat closures were an “operational” decision made by the Queensland Police Service.

Among the cuts, at least seven police beats have been shut across Ipswich and Toowoomba. Five have closed on the Sunshine Coast, and three in Cairns.

The LNP’s police spokesman Dan Purdie said the proposal was a “desperate” commitment by Labor ahead of the election.

“Announcing 10 new police beats the week before an election after closing 42 over the last seven years is an admission of failure” Mr Purdie said.

“This is another rushed decision from a desperate Labor Government that has failed to consult with police.”

Police data, released by Mr Miles, shows youth offending has declined 6 per cent between January and September.

Car theft offences dropped by 10 per cent, robberies 14 per cent and property offences 5 per cent.

There are still 393 serious repeat offenders -though this has significantly decreased from 497 since October 2023.

The additional police beats will aim to improve co-ordination between police and youth engagement services to target anti-social behaviour and at-risk youths in Queensland communities.

The government previously committed to adding 25 mobile police beats to the service.