Push for 20,000 engine immobilisers to be fitted in Townsville cars

Authorities are calling for 20,000 Townsville cars to be fitted with engine immobilisers as part of a trial, after a spate of stolen car incidents have led to deaths.

Experts and policing authorities are calling for 20,000 cars to be fitted with engine immobilisers in a government funded Townsville trial, as crime statistics reveal a car is stolen in Australia every 10 minutes.

Leading the charge to combat vehicle theft and keep the community safe is expert economist and director of Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions Nick Behrens, who is working alongside Queensland Police Union (QPU) President Ian Leavers.

At Thursday’s QPU organised National Youth Crime Symposium, it was announced Mr Behrens and the union were investigating the feasibility of a pilot to be held in Townsville for the installation of 20,000 engine immobilisers to older vehicles.

The push for the trial comes as statistics reveal car thefts have increased by 38 per cent between 2015-2016 (8930 thefts) and 2019-2020 (14,424 thefts).

The monetary cost of stolen cars in 2019-2020 totalled about $600 million, however, the cost to society is much greater.

The community was earlier this year rocked by the deaths of Kate Leadbetter, Matt Field and unborn baby Miles, when they were in January struck and killed by a teen driver, allegedly in a stolen car. 

Just days later, Townsville motorbike rider Jennifer Board, 22, was killed after being struck by a vehicle driven by an alleged vigilante who was chasing a stolen car.

And the lives of young Lucius Hill, 13, Cayenne Nona, 14, Rayveena Coolwell, 15, and Aaliyah Tepaa-Brown, 17, were cut short when the alleged stolen car they were travelling into smashed into a traffic light pole in Townsville in mid last year.

Cayenne Nona, Rayveena Coolwell, Lucius Hill (also known by Baira), and Aaliyah Tappa Brown were killed in a Townsville crash mid last year.

The senseless loss of life in three separate incidents has further propelled the push for engine immobilisers, as police are often forced to abort vehicle pursuits for their own safety, and that of the community.

“Vehicle pursuits are one of the highest risk aspects of policing,” a Queensland Police statement said.

“In general, drivers fleeing from police are highly impulsive risk.

“When vehicles are stolen, just the mere act of driving those vehicles at extremely high speeds and outside of the road rules makes that vehicle weaponized.”

Mr Leavers said technology for engine immobilisers is already available, and having them widely installed would lead to less tragedies on our roads.

The two day National Youth Crime Symposium is an initiative of the Queensland Police Union, and is the first of its kind.

Mr Leavers said he was trying to bring everyone together to look at the overarching issue of youth crime.

“We’ve seen what’s happened in Queensland (and) across the country. I need local communities, councils, state and federal governments, NGOs and other interested groups to work together,” he said.

“We need to stop this generational cycle (of crime) which we have at this point in time.

“We need to bring people together with all different views to start a road map so we can move into the future, to try make a difference. Because what we are currently doing is simply not working.”