Alarming new kidnapping data shows regional abduction hotspots

Fresh crime data shows a rise in kidnappings across Queensland, with rural communities such as Mount Isa leading the state in abduction rates.

New statistics tabled in state parliament this week show people living in regional and rural Queensland are significantly more likely to be kidnapped. Picture: The Courier-Mail

People in regional and rural Queensland were more likely to be kidnapped or abducted than residents living in the state’s major cities, according to fresh police data tabled in State Parliament this week.

Across Queensland, police reported 126 kidnapping and abduction cases in the first two months of 2025, up nearly 17 per cent from the same period in 2024 when police recorded 108 kidnapping cases.

Between January and March this year, Mount Isa was the state’s kidnapping and abduction hotspot, with a rate of 16.9 victims per 100,000 residents, more than seven times above the state average of 2.2.

Police have said that abductions across Queensland were often a mix of domestic violence-related- and youth-driven cases.

Although not part of the recent data, a high-profile abduction case resurfaced with the arrest last month of Tony Allan Devine, charged with the 1992 abduction of a 23-year-old nurse near Maxwelton, east of Cloncurry.

The woman was allegedly held at gunpoint and driven more than 1000 km before escaping from a moving vehicle near Cooktown.

Devine was arrested in Townsville and is due to appear in court again in July.

Far North Queensland also had its fair share of abductions with 6.5 victims per 100,000, and in Townsville, the abduction rate was 5.1 per 100,000 people.

Other regions with high kidnapping rates included Mackay-Whitsunday where there were eight abduction cases in the two-month period, equating to a rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people.

Police recorded four kidnapping cases in Capricornia, which covers Rockhampton, reinforcing that rural and remote communities were being affected.

In the southeast, Brisbane South police district, which includes Upper Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank, and Holland Park, had the highest number of kidnappings, recording 20 cases and chalking up an abduction rate of 3.2 victims per 100,000 residents for the two months.

Police confirmed that many of the incidents in the Brisbane South area involved family members or partners, rather than strangers.

Brisbane’s South-West police district was also a hotspot, with two abductions including a high-profiled case at Inala, where 52-year-old Van Dam Nguyen was allegedly kidnapped in January.

Three men were charged with murder, torture and kidnapping in relation to that case.

During the same period in 2024, a 43-year-old woman was allegedly taken and assaulted from a Cassowary St property in Doolandella, south of Brisbane before being driven to Forest Lake.

The neighbouring Logan district also recorded a high abduction rate, with two victims per 100,000 residents and police recording nine cases over the two-month period.

Police said the area, which includes communities such as Marsden, Woodridge, and Beenleigh, experienced a mix of domestic-related incidents and youth-related cases.

Logan police have raised concerns in the past about rising youth offences, where peer-to-peer disputes had escalated into unlawful confinement or threats.

Logan also made headlines for this type of crime with an April 2024 incident involving a 10-year-old boy allegedly taken from Woodridge. The child was later found and three people were charged.

Statewide, police emphasised that many kidnappings form part of coercive or controlling behaviour, often connected to breaches of domestic violence orders, reflecting the complex nature of these crimes.

In Brisbane North, which covers Chermside, Aspley, and Stafford, the kidnap rate was 1.6, with 11 reported victims.

Police said some incidents in that region involved teenage offenders in disputes stemming from school or online conflicts.

In several cases across the state, police said abductions formed part of coercive or controlling behaviour, particularly linked to breaches of domestic violence orders.

Originally published as Alarming new kidnapping data shows regional abduction hotspots