Brisbane’s safest, and most dangerous, postcodes

The Valley is way up there as a crime hotspot, but there are surprises in Brisbane’s safest and most dangerous locations. SEE THE LISTS

Police patrol Brunswick st in Fortitude Valley just after midnight. The night-life mecca had among the most crimes in Brisbane last year.

An analysis of crimes reported to police in the past 12 months has thrown up some surprises, not to mention the “usuals’’.

The top two postcodes for all categories of crime last year were 4006 (Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Herston and Mayne) and 4101 (Highgate Hill, South Bank, South Brisbane and West End).

There were 7338 crimes reported in the period in the 4006 postcode, followed by 3951 in the West End peninsula.

The CBD easily topped the list for the most thefts (other than robberies), drug offences and assaults.

The 4006 postcode came in second place for all three of those offences in the 12 months to January.

Police search a vehicle in the Valley after a drug arrest.

Drugs are a particular problem in the Valley due to the proliferation of nightclubs, which attract large numbers of young revellers from across the city.

In December police charged 37 people and seized $270,000 in drugs after a major bust in the Valley.

The QPS crime maps also reveal thousands of drunken assaults in the entertainment mecca in the past decade.

Surprisingly, residents in 4122 — which stretches from Mansfield to Upper Mount Gravatt and Wishart — were victims of the third highest overall number of crimes for the year (3465) and the third highest number of thefts.

Police stepped up patrols after a spate of burglaries in Mansfield in May.

The city’s safest area was also a big surprise.

Nathan (4111 postcode), on the southside, had a remarkably low 42 crimes reported to police including just three assaults.

Eatons Hill was another eye opener, coming in second with only 132 crimes, despite a number of high-profile crimes committed by some patrons at the popular Eatons Hill Hotel.

Upmarket 4065, which takes in Bardon and Rainworth, was also very safe and reported only 177 crimes for the period including just two assaults.

It would have easily come in at number two were it not for a sprinkling of thefts and drug offences, which pushed it into third place.

Inner-west postcodes made up half of the top 10 safest suburbs for the year.

However, the posh inner-west 4068 postcode (Chelmer, Indooroopilly, Long Pocket, Taringa) squeaked into the top 10 most crime-addled areas.

The unit block where a murdered man, 48, was found. It is believed his body was lying in the Waverley Rd, Taringa unit for up to two days. Picture: Nine News

A murder in Waverley Rd in Taringa last September shocked the normally peaceful suburb, but police said such serious crimes were rare.

Instead, thefts including those involving high-end cars were more common.

Indooroopilly Officer In Charge, Sgt Shane Hancock, said postcodes such as 4070 were acreage with low population densities and therefore less likely to have big crime numbers.

Sgt Hancock said the relatively high crime numbers in nearby 4068 were largely due to younger offenders coming into the area, by train or in stolen vehicles, to commit opportunistic offences.

“The (Indooroopilly) railway line appears to be a corridor for people coming in from other areas,’’ Sgt Hancock said.

“There’s no one part of the (southeast) responsible — we get people from the northside, even as far as Caboolture, plus Logan and the (Ipswich to Richlands) areas.

“What we have noticed lately is offenders from these sorts of areas stealing BMWs, Porsches, Audis and other high-end cars from unlocked houses in Taringa, Chelmer, Indooroopilly and suburbs around there.

“Residents need to lock up and if they’re home be aware of security, as offenders will walk in if the owner is in the backyard.’’

A couple in Laurel Ave at Chelmer, one of the most prestigious streets in Brisbane, were held up at gunpoint and their luxury Audi was stolen in one shocking incident.

Sgt Hancock said parts of Fig Tree Pocket and Chapel Hill near the Western Fwy were also targets, from time to time.

The top 10 most crime-riddled postcodes were evenly split between the northside and southside.

As population varies between postcodes, per capita crime rates are difficult to calculate.

However 4000, 4006 and 4101 were at or near the top, even after their larger populations were taken into account.

The Gabba Councillor Jonathan Sri said while it appeared crime was worsening in the 4101 postcode, the per capita crime rate had gradually declined in recent years.

The overall number of offences was up because the population in the 4101 area had grown from 16,000 people in 2006 to 28,000 last year.

“The number of businesses and workers has also increased dramatically,’’ Cr Sri said.

Police investigate an assault on Boundary St in West End.

West End recorded a number of shocking assaults last year, including an attack on a Highgate Hill man on trendy Boundary St which left him in a critical condition with brain injuries.

“My suspicion is absolute numbers are going up but the actual crime rate is not as bad as those numbers make it look,’’ Cr Sri said.

“Lots of factors influence crime stats, including what offences police choose to focus enforcement on, how many police are deployed in an area and how likely different demographics are to call police and report crimes.

“Ironically, the easiest way to bring down the official crime rate is to reduce the number of police.”

He said a concerning issue was the drop in overall police liaison staffing, particularly a decline in the number of indigenous PLOs.

His ward has a relatively large percentage of indigenous and homeless people who are at high risk of becoming victims of crime, as well as being at higher risk of being charged for criminal offences.

Booming rents and house prices were exacerbating the problem for those on the margins.

Top 10 safest postcodes (Jan 2020-Jan 2021) and total reported crimes

1. 4111 (Nathan, Griffith University), 42

2. 4037 (Eatons Hill) 132

3. 4065 (Rainworth, Bardon, Bardon West) 177

4. 4009 (Eagle Farm) 181

5. 4073 (Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sinnamon Park) 199

6. 4067 (Ironside, St Lucia, University of Qld) 221

7. 4070 (Anstead, Bellbowrie, Moggill, Priors Pocket) 229

8. 4061 (The Gap) 299

9. 4010 (Albion, Breakfast Creek)

10. 4112 (Kuraby) 403

Top 10 least safe postcodes and total reported crimes

1. 4006 (Bowen Hills, Newstead, Herston, Mayne, Fortitude Valley) 7338

2. 4101 (Highgate Hill, South Brisbane, South Bank, West End, Mater Hill) 3951

3. 4122 (Mansfield, Mount Gravatt, Upper Mount Gravatt, Wishart) 3465

4. 4077 (Doolandella, Durack, Inala, Richlands) 3102

5. 4034 (Aspley, Boondall, Carseldine, Geebung, Zillmere) 2832

6. 4109 (Altandi, Banoon, Macgregor, Robertson, Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills) 2647

7. 4053 (Everton Hills, Everton Park, McDowall, Mitchelton, Stafford, Stafford Heights) 2440

8. 4032 (Chermside, Chermside West, Chermside South, Craigslea) 2430

9. 4102 (Buranda, Dutton Park, Woolloongabba) 2153

10. 4068 (Chelmer, Indooroopilly, Long Pocket, Taringa) 1801