The high profile operation is targeting crime hot spots and known offenders in the region, but the Bulletin’s crime reporter Shayla Bulloch was given an insight into the day-to-day operations officers are confronted by.

Inspector Sean Dugger and District Dury Officer Senior Sergeant Robert Dusha were on hand to give a behind the scenes look at the raft of jobs they attend.

From 7pm to 2am The Bulletin saw first-hand how the police are tackling everything from youth crime, to mental health, to stolen cars.

POLICE WEAR MANY HATS

IT’S not all handcuffs and kicking in doors.

The day to day police operations range from roadside breath tests, to fatal accidents, troublesome kids and calls to assist with mental health issues.

On Saturday night, there was no shortage of work for the crews who showed they do more than just tackle crime.

District Duty Officer, senior sergeant Robert Dusha said they wear many hats during their shifts, changing from law enforcement to counsellor in mental health situations.

His role is to oversee the uniform police response to incidents during their shift, which is split into three eight hour lots throughout the day.

The Bulletin joined Sen-Sgt Dusha from 7pm on his shift, launching straight into the night with jobs across the city.

For the most part, it was a quiet night, but a night that showed the day to day policing that officers deal with.

The first urgent call came across the radio just before midnight, saying a girl was in cardiac arrest after a mental health incident.

The incident, which may seem like a job for paramedics, has become common practice for police to attend, Sen-Sgt Dusha saying they would be call to these jobs more often than not.

In total, three police cars and two ambulances arrived on scene, which may be seen as a huge response, but he explained these calls were never taken lightly.

“We are almost always on the ambulance jobs,” he said.

It was one of five mental health-related calls in the space of seven hours, which included some callers police knew well.

“We get a lot of mental health stuff … police wear many hats.

“All our recruits go through mental health training, and thankfully the success rate (of assisting people out of self-harm situations) is pretty high.”

While youth crime is a major concern for the community, one incident at Jezzine Barracks was the only hint of juvenile activity during the night.

On arrival, an officer approached the car window, a makeshift bong in hand, saying police had broken up a small “party” when the children started throwing bottles at the cop car.

The kids stood huddled around trees they’d draped in dog poo bags, frantically calling their parents, as police inspected a dent on the side of the car.

The jobs never stopped for police, who were even on guard while on a coffee-run in the Maccas drive-through.

“Do you know how much the fine is?” Sen-Sgt Dusha said to a woman on her phone, FaceTiming her boyfriend.

She was lined up right beside the heavily marked police car with her phone in her hand, her jaw dropping when he told her the late-night call would cost her more than $1000.

“You’re lucky this time,” he said, before collecting the coffees in disbelief and heading back into the city.

CONFRONTING THE ROAD TOLL

A team of two officers with perhaps the toughest job in Townsville police look exhausted.

It’s now 10pm on Saturday night, their heads are buried in paperwork. Just 24 hours earlier they were on the road to a property near Greenvale.

A call had come in for a farming accident, a 15-year-old girl was dead.

Townsville Forensic Crash Unit’s acting Sergeant Hayley Garrod and Senior Constable Brendan Pownall are preparing their report into the tragic death of Mackenzie Guild, 15, towards the end of their Saturday night shift.

The death of the teenage schoolgirl, who went to school in Charters Towers still sits fresh in their minds.

The call to head out had come through around 10pm on Friday night, they left immediately, not knowing what they were going to face.

A piece of the underside of a bogged car had come loose under the pressure of a snatch rope, flinging back and striking Mackenzie, who was sitting in the ute tray, in the chest.

Covered in dirt and mud, Sgt Garrod and Senior constable Pownall worked through the confronting scene for hours until the first light of dawn on Saturday morning.

Their dedication to the job in plain to see, and with just a few hours’ sleep in between their shifts, the team of two were back in the office and running off lollies as the first pieces of their complex investigation puzzle came together on Saturday night.

The Forensic Crash Unit at Townsville was once a part-time a gig- a fact hard to believe considering the region’s roads have claimed the lives of five people in a matter of weeks.

A board of active investigations takes up an entire wall in the team’s small office at Mundingburra Station, a constant, overwhelming reminder of death and how important their work really is.

Despite the nature of their job, Sgt Garrod and senior constable Pownall were happy to have us, even sharing their dwindling container of lollies before diving back into their mountain work

THE DOG SQUAD

An entire police car shakes with fury as the “best” police dog in the region’s squad barks from inside, pleading with his handler to let him out.

It’s enough to frighten most, but Senior Constable David Sloane doesn’t blink as his four-year-old dog, Drago, barks from his enclosure after a routine patrol.

The duo are part of Townsville’s dog squad, which consists of two other crews, and are an important part of the city’s arsenal against crime.

Despite the German Shepherd’s loud bark, he’s really a playful pooch, insists senior constable Sloane, but his ability should not be undermined.

They had just pulled up at Kirwan Station after checking on an alarm at a nearby school, but the night was young for Drago who was keen for more action as he kept rattling his cage.

He is senior constable Sloane’s second police dog in his 13 years on the job, and had the best tracking nose among the team.

“He is an unbelievable tracker, once he’s going there’s no stopping him,” he said.

Drago would take his handler over fences, through backyards and into scrub to track and find his target.

The van was decked out with gear, including harnesses, tracking ropes and training equipment.

But once the day was over, Drago more than just a working dog.

“I spend more time with him than I do with my family … he’s a huge part of my life.”

HIGHWAY TO CRIME

Lined up along the stolen car “passageway” of Townsville, multiple cops were ready and waiting to tackle the city’s crime scourge.

Traffic police, general duties and Rapid Action Patrol Group saturated Lindeman Ave for about five hours, pulling over hundreds of drivers nabbing a few.

Senior Constable Darren Jones was among the nine officers pulling over cars, saying the high visibility operation was strategically placed on the Heatley street the target car thieves.

Sen-Sgt Dusha said the strip was a well-known, problem area.

“We target this area as it is a commonly used route by stolen cars.”

A few rogue drivers had already tried to dodge the cordons, so unmarked cars were called in to keep an eye out for the runners.

“We can call them in as we need them, and use them for whatever, but they are useful for stolen cars.”

Senior constable Jones and his team had nabbed one drink driver in the operation, but it was their presence that put the community at ease.

shayla.bulloch@news.com.au