Our eye in the sky: Townsville police chopper snags joy-riding juveniles in Kirwan

Four teen offenders thought they’d outsmarted the law as they dumped a stolen car in a quiet Kirwan street. But little did they know — they were being watched from above.

Four teen offenders thought they’d outsmarted the law as they dumped a stolen car in a quiet Kirwan street. But little did they know — they were being watched from above.

The Townsville police chopper swooped in to help nail four juveniles who’d taken a stolen Toyota Corolla for a 260-kilometre joy ride from Innisfail Estate to Townsville on April 1.

Video footage caught the kids dumping the car in Kirwan and legging it across a park just before 8am.

But police had eyes in the sky, tracking their every move and guiding ground units to make the bust without endangering the public.

Townsville Tactical Crime Squad Senior Constable John Robinson is an observer on Townsville's police chopper, the eye in the sky in the fight against youth crime. Picture: Evan Morgan

The offenders — a 14-year-old Tully girl, 16-year-old Tully boy, 14-year-old Innisfail Estate girl, and 15-year-old Innisfail Estate girl — were all charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle and had their bail refused.

This case is just one of many the new chopper’s helped crack since it took to the Townsville skies last December.

Senior Constable John Robinson, who’s been on-board for the action both in the air as an helicopter observer and on the ground as a member of the Townsville Tactical Crime Squad, thinks the chopper’s a game-changer.

Vision of the arrest of four juveniles who allegedly drove a stolen Toyota Corolla from Innisfail Estate to Townsville on April 1. Source: QPS

“Personally, I’ve seen a massive value in the helicopter itself and the observers’ ability to create a really safe and tactically sound environment for the guys on the ground,” he said.

He said its also been a massive time saver, cutting search times down to a matter of minutes in some incidents.

Vision of the arrest of four juveniles who allegedly drove a stolen Toyota Corolla from Innisfail Estate to Townsville on April 1. Source: QPS

Their hi-tech gear, including infra-red and thermal cameras, makes it a piece of cake to spot offenders, whether they’re hopping fences in the suburbs or legging it through the bush.

“Particularly at night, with the infra-red cameras, we can pick up a lot of detail that people on the road wouldn’t be able to see usually,” Senior Constable Robinson said.

“We can create real-time situational awareness for those crews to ensure a safe result in apprehending offenders, particularly those with stolen vehicles.”

Originally published as Our eye in the sky: Townsville police chopper snags joy-riding juveniles in Kirwan