Sunshine Coast detective on youth crime, cases as he leaves district
A long-serving detective has spoken of high-profile Sunshine Coast cases and youth crime as he waves goodbye to a community he’s served for 25 years.
Sunshine Coast
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Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Hurst stands in the conference room that became the central hub of the Daniel Morcombe investigation.
The long-serving Sunshine Coast detective and Child Protection and Investigation Unit leader said he was in the same room doing training when the news came through that the 13-year-old boy had gone missing in December 2003.
“We set up the investigation centre and that kicked off months of work,” he said.
It is one high-profile case that the police officer of more than 30 years has worked on.
Another was Balin Stewart’s death.
Balin, 16, was stabbed by another teenager in January 2022 and died on his family’s Buddina lawn.
The sergeant was in the courtroom to watch Balin’s father Michael Stewart read out his victim impact statement.
Sergeant Hurst said cases were not solved sitting behind a desk.
“To have a good community, you need to contribute to the community,” he said.
The police officer walks the walk, too, after recently playing his 200th game for the Maroochydore Swans rugby union team and volunteering for the Laurel Place sexual assault service.
“Giving back to the community gives me balance,” Sergeant Hurst said.
The detective, who has spent 25 years policing on the Sunshine Coast and has seen the district’s child protection and investigation unit grow from 15 staff members to 34 investigators and three school-based police officers, has received a promotion and will soon start work in the Moreton Bay district.
He said working in child protection was an “emotionally charged” area.
“The past 11 years it’s been a privilege to lead a dedicated group of detectives in a high-risk area of policing,” Sergeant Hurst said.
He also acknowledged the Sunshine Coast stakeholders in child protection and youth justice.
“We’ve got good professional networks,” he said.
“We work together really well to get great outcomes for the community and public safety.”
The detective said the Sunshine Coast was a community that supported its police and he said tougher offences for youth crime was one part of deterring offenders.
“I would advocate for the government and the community to look towards early intervention strategies,” he said.