Sporting venues in Logan, Ipswich, Redland, Moreton and Brisbane where offences have been registered by police

Assaults, weapons use, drunken brawls and carpark rage are some of the hundreds of police callouts registered near sporting venues across southeast Queensland. USE THE MAP TO SEE YOUR AREA

Sporting clubs and venues are the centre of communities but sometimes are also the settings for offences ranging from brawls in car parks, punch ups over team losses, fraud and weapons incidents.

More than 200 sporting and football clubs across Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton, Logan and Redland have offences registered on or near their properties.

Although most of the 1200 crimes committed at these clubs over the past year involve trespass, break ins, vandalism and minor carpark arguments, some of the larger clubs deal with liquor offences, glassings and assaults.

The majority of licensed venues surveyed served up wholesome family entertainment and cheap meals with the main offences registered being break ins and assaults.

Crime did not occur inside all sporting clubs in Logan where Kingston’s Logan Rec Club is one of the largest.

Since April, police have dealt with six alleged thefts, two alleged cases of fraud, one alleged case of robbery, one alleged assault and one case of property damage in the vicinity and on the doorstep of the club.

Streets near the club also clocked up the highest number of registered and reported offences near a sporting club venue in Logan over the past two years.

Rec Club general manager Steve Ryan was thankful that none of the major crimes reported by police occurred inside the club’s walls.

“I am aware of the area’s crime statistics and the club does everything it can to ensure our patrons are safe and that we follow the regulations for serving alcohol.

“The offences recorded by the police are for the entire area around the club including the nearby street.”

According to police, since 2020 there were 16 alleged thefts, one alleged stolen car, eight alleged cases of fraud, five alleged drug offences, three alleged assaults, one alleged unlawful entry and one alleged robbery around the Alba Lane venue.

In Ipswich, the city’s biggest sporting club, Jets Leagues Club, had the most offences reported according to police data.

Over the past six months, there were six alleged assaults, four alleged weapons offences and eight alleged drug crimes in and near the club.

A Jets spokeswoman said the club was surprised to learn of the statistics, but noted the club was located at a busy intersection in the heart of town.

She said staff and management were fully trained and remain vigilant in addressing incidents.

“Security have been trained to observe and rectify any issues early so that concerns are proactively dealt with, generally resulting in a non-event,” she said.

“[They] have been trained to observe and rectify any issues early so that concerns are proactively dealt with, generally resulting in a non-event.”

The spokeswoman said the club had 60 CCTV cameras running at all hours, suitable lighting and zero tolerance for bad behavior including drugs and violence.

“If this was to occur in or around the club we would have no hesitation in alerting the police, which we have done on a couple of occasions - no different to any other hospitality venue,” she said.

“Jets maintain a good working relationship with the police for general community safety.

“Patron and staff safety is a key priority for the venue, we ensure a high standard is maintained at all times.”

Redland clubs, including those on the bay islands, fared better with fewer crimes but more cases of vagrancy, drunkenness and behavioural offences.

Brisbane clubs also recorded assaults, weapons offences and drunken behaviour breaches.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said sporting venues which undertook annual security risk assessments, had locks, lighting, alarms and CCTV were often able to avoid being overwhelmed by crime.

But ensuring responsible service of alcohol was paramount and clubs that did not follow best practices were often venues for alcohol-fuelled crimes.

“Ensuring the responsible service of alcohol and having a security risk assessment in place are part of the crime prevention strategies to support the safety of patrons and property.

“Police are called to incidents at licensed or sporting venues which can include break and enters, wilful damage, public nuisance, or alcohol fuelled disturbances,” the police spokeswoman said.

“All incidents reported to police are investigated and when evidence exists of an offence, the alleged offender is charged and put before the court.

“QPS statistics are collated based on the type of offence, and not specifically on the type of venue the offence allegedly occurred at.

“Due to this, QPS is not able to provide statistics nor comment on the number of incidents occurring at certain types of venues in a particular area.”

Of the 200 venues we surveyed, break ins and trespass were the most prevalent, according to Queensland police data over the past six-months and two-years.

However, the police spokeswoman said incidents recorded did not always accurately report the offence location as recorded in police systems.

“It is also important to note that populated areas where there are more dwellings or shops are likely to show up as a ‘hotspot’,” she said.