NewsBite

Garage ram raid in Hillcrest leaves elderly couple in fear for days waiting for police

An elderly Hillcrest couple waited in fear for days for police to visit their home after their garage was smashed into by a stolen car before crashing through their letterbox and fleeing.

It took police days to visit the Hillcrest house where a stolen car crashed into its garage.
It took police days to visit the Hillcrest house where a stolen car crashed into its garage.

An elderly couple, left fearing for their lives after their garage roller door was smashed into with a stolen car, say it took police days to visit the crime scene because nobody had been injured during the attempted break-in.

Ken and Betty, who did not want to reveal their full names, were getting ready for morning tea when a stolen white four-door car slammed into their Hillcrest home shaking it to the foundations and ploughing down their brick letterbox.

The attack occurred hours after police attended an address in Eagleby for an entirely unrelated matter, where an elderly couple’s home was damaged, and the street left shaken after a car crashed into the front wall of the house on October 2.

In that case, the 37-year-old driver was tasered before being charged with various dangerous driving and domestic violence offences.

The Hillcrest grandmother said the crash at her house created a “very loud bang”.

“I really wasn’t sure what had happened at first,” she said.

“My husband ran to the window and looked out and saw a man who then ran back to the car and reversed out.”

The couple, in their 80s, saw the man speed away but were in shock when a neighbour, Jane Littlejohns, arrived to help.

“They were not sure if there were others in the house or if there were others outside and wanted the police to come and see the damage,” Ms Littlejohns said.

The elderly couple’s car, parked inside the smashed garage, was also damaged.
The elderly couple’s car, parked inside the smashed garage, was also damaged.

The couple said they called police to come and check out the property and the damage but were told the matter was not an emergency.

“They asked me if anyone had been injured and I said ‘no’,” the elderly man said.

“The officer told me they would not come out if it was not an emergency or if nobody was injured and they would send out paperwork and a number for me to file a crime report.

“Having your house rammed felt like an emergency.

“I wish they had come at the time but they have visited us since, after much of the damage was cleared up.”

The elderly Hillcrest couple's roller door was crashed into and bent and broken.
The elderly Hillcrest couple's roller door was crashed into and bent and broken.

Logan District Chief Superintendent Melissa Adams said due to the nature of policing, calls for service must be prioritised based on the threat to life and safety.

“Officers are deployed to urgent priority matters first but there has been no change to policy in regard to attending crime scenes and there is certainly no policy which dictates that officers do not attend a crime scene unless someone has been injured,” Supt Adams said.

“Police attendance is based on a number of variables including the nature of the offence, the type of scene and what information is provided by the victim or informant.

“While staffing figures will fluctuate from time to time, the QPS has sufficient staff and resources to deliver professional policing services to all Logan residents and visitors, including Hillcrest.” 

Supt Adams said in the past financial year, the Logan Police District, which comprises Logan City Council and Scenic Rim Regional Council areas, received 61 new positions and seven new first year constables to the Logan District this week.

She said the service regularly reviewed population growth, crime trends and service delivery requirements to ensure fair and equitable policing across the state.

There were more than 15,000 police sworn and unsworn members across 15 districts and multiple specialist policing commands, with a government commitment to increase that number by 2,025 by the year 2025.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/garage-ram-raid-in-hillcrest-leaves-elderly-couple-in-fear-for-days-waiting-for-police/news-story/57932f3de727985296113032feb856e0