Warwick crime spree: Rampant car thefts, break-ins, daylight shooting send shockwaves through town

From a shocking daylight shooting to rapidly escalating break-ins, vandalism and car thefts sweeping Warwick, these are the wildest crimes to take place in the Rose City this week.

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From daytime shootings in the middle of a busy street to the whopping spate of break-ins and car thefts sweeping the town, the Warwick community is currently battling a rapidly escalating string of wild crime.

Warwick Police acting officer-in-charge Sergeant Cameron Slater is urging the town’s residents to reinforce security at their homes and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in an effort to combat the crime spike.

He said residents leaving cars unlocked or with the key in the ignition could go a long way to deterring thieves.

“If they can make sure their houses are secure and if they can take the time to do a bit of an audit on their security, especially windows and doors, and make sure they’re able to be locked,” Sergeant Slater said.

He said most of the property-related crime was likely linked to a large group of younger offenders who may be looking for thrills.

“If anyone sees any youngsters in particular loitering around, just ring the police and ring triple-0 if they have to,” he said.

See the full wrap of shocking offences to have recently swept Warwick below:

Car thefts, break-ins, vandalism

The Warwick community has seen a huge surge in property-related crime within the past several weeks, with at least five reported this week alone.

Offenders first targeted a Reyburn St home at about 4.30pm on Sunday, stealing a silver Audi station wagon parked outside the property with the keys left inside the vehicle.

The car was found a short distance from the house.

Thieves then targeted a Pristine Ct home about an hour later the same day, making their way into a garage with internal entry to the house.

Sergeant Slater said those responsible were rummaging through the two cars parked inside the garage when they were disturbed by the homeowners, quickly fleeing to a waiting vehicle and driving from the scene.

He said another three vehicles were stolen between 9.3opm on Monday and the early hours of Tuesday morning, including a Mercedes Benz sedan from a Wood St home and a Land Rover Discovery from Grafton St.

Offenders broke into all three houses to steal the car keys before taking off with the vehicles.

Warwick police say thieves struck again only 24 hours later at a Wilga Ave home, breaking into the house to take the keys to a Nissan Pathfinder station wagon that is yet to be located.

The recent spate of car thefts is only the most recent to sweep Warwick.

It was only last week that police reported luxury cars being stolen from homes across the Rose City and driven erratically across town before being dumped as far afield as Toowoomba and Yelarbon.

Large amounts of graffiti have also been reported across the Rose City, with cars, fences and power poles scrawled on earlier this week.

Wallace St shooting

A 37-year-old man was shot in the stomach in a public daylight shooting on a busy Warwick street this week, leaving the victim fighting for life in hospital.

Police say a small silver sedan or hatchback pulled up beside Warwick man Jason Martin while he was standing on a footpath along Wallace St, and a man inside the car fired a single shot before driving off. 

Mr Martin was taken to Warwick Hospital before being flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital for surgery, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

Warwick Police say they are still searching for the man thought to be responsible for the attack and officers believe the two men were known to each other before the incident.

The public shooting has sent shockwaves through the wider Warwick community, with dozens of residents taking to social media to share their horror at the violent daytime attack.

“That’s bad and very sad for the victim too, hopefully he will recover. It’s a very mixed-up and sad world now,” Donna Hodgson wrote.

“That is very scary for the town, and even for (people) walking around town,” Hayley Curry said.

‘Flasher’ targets woman in disturbing home intrusion

A young Warwick woman whose home was invaded by a young man who exposed himself before fleeing has shared her shock and disgust, with the incident leaving her fearful for her own and others’ safety.

The woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, says she was watching TV in her living room one night last week when she heard a knock on her screen door at about 7pm.

She said she saw a young man who appeared to be in his late teens standing outside her house.

The teenager quickly entered her home, asking for a cup of water and a lighter for the cigarette in his mouth.

“When I got him the cup of water, I didn’t notice it, but when I looked around again I saw that basically his entire genitals were on display,” she said.

The woman said she’d heard reports another young woman had been the victim of similar indecent exposure near the Warwick Riverwalk last week, and believed the offences could be linked in “a sad and worrying” sign for the community.

Police confirmed both incidents had been reported and it is understood no one has yet been charged.

Anyone with information relevant to any of the reported incidents is urged to contact Warwick police on 4660 4444 or Policelink on 13 14 44.