Remember when: a Pimpama couple got ruff justice when their dog hunted an armed criminal

A PIMPAMA couple used their German shepherd to hunt down an armed criminal after penny pinching senior police refused to call in the dog squad.

Gold Coast Weekend Bulletin 2000, April 29-30. Front page.

A PIMPAMA couple used their German shepherd to hunt down an armed criminal after penny pinching senior police refused to call in the dog squad.

Gold Coast History 130: Gold Coast Weekend Bulletin 2000, April 29-30. Front page.

The couple recounted the dramatic encounter in the wake of complaints by Gold Coast police that funding restrictions were stopping them from properly protecting the public.

Robyn and Bob Little said they used their dog Zena to try and track down the suspected serial thief who police had cornered near their property.

Police sources told the Bulletin that senior officers had refused to send in the dog squad because it would have cost $120 in overtime and the offender escaped.

Mrs Little said at the time that police needed proper resources to catch offenders and protect the public.

“You don’t mind doing your bit to help the police but this is stretching the friendship,” she said.

It came after a litany of allegations from Gold Coast police about severe cutbacks in response to a reported $750,000 blowout in the southeastern police region’s budget.

The most startling claim was that senior officers had refused to approve a 50c phone call to directory assistance.

This was because senior police had allegedly given the directive not to use it in line with budget cutbacks.

Other allegations included:

Detectives and officers directed not to arrest offenders more than halfway through a shift.

Calls for assistance not being detail to police until the start of a new shift to avoid overtime and fuel restrictions on water police.