Community rallies to fight crime wave

Gold Coast residents fed up by a drug-fuelled crime wave are taking matters into their own hands to protect their homes. Here’s how they’re doing it.

A group of Northern Gold Coast residents have taken crime fighting into their own hands to combat a spate of robberies and attempted break-ins in their fast-growing suburb.

Ormeau residents are fed up of their suburb being a prime target for thieves while calls for an increased police presence go unanswered.

Jake Farnham has lived in Ormeau for more than three years and has called on fellow residents to pool together to fund a private security guard, or for cameras to be installed in the suburb.

“With all the waves of crime we get, I feel getting a security presence in the estate will take the pressure off,” he said.

“If every house put in a few dollars per week ... set it up as an auto direct and it (the money) won’t be thought of and won’t be missed.”

Fed up residents Jake Farnham, Kay Worrall and Tony Miller. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

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Mr Farnham suggested members who contribute get a voucher booklet, similar to a RACQ discount book, with local businesses offering deals on their products and services.

Mr Farnham said the community needed to act because Ormeau’s location – half way between the Coomera and Beenleigh police stations – made it increasingly vulnerable to criminals.

“It’s so easy as we’re at least 10 minutes drive from the police station and that’s assuming the police are in their cars and ready to go,” he said.

“We’re so close to the M1 so anyone who gets spotted as being suspect, they just get straight on the M1 and they’re gone.”

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Ormeau is located half way between Beenleigh and Coomera police stations.

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Crime statistics obtained by the Gold Coast Bulletin show that Unlawful Entry in Ormeau and Ormeau Hills has spiked in the last six months. Despite the increase and continued calls for additional police resources in the Gold Coast’s northern growth corridor, the State Government did not allocate any extra funding in its budget handed down on Tuesday.

Resident Tony Miller was robbed two years ago and took CCTV footage to the police which led to an arrest.

“The two guys and woman who robbed our place had robbed 22 houses,” he said.

He said he was disappointed there had been no additional funds pledged to boosting police numbers, or another station.

“The police are doing the best job with what they’ve got,” he said. “I’ve got no time for anyone who criticises them, they don’t deserve to cop any abuse.

“Don’t whinge, get off your bums and have a crack and rally the government.”

Residents are keen to stress that they believe police are doing the best they can with limited resources.

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Frustrated with what he sees as the “scourge of drugs”, Luke Steedman has started a facebook group called Ormeau Hills and Surrounds (4208) CCTV Shared Footage for fellow residents to gain access to CCTV footage in the hope police can use the vision to identify, arrest and prosecute the offenders.

“My partner and I started the group to try and give people an Ave to seek footage from other residents in the event where a crime has taken place,” he said.

“Crime has definitely escalated in my area over the last six months and I feel like it’s the scourge of drugs.”

Both he and Mr Farnham believe it is non-Ormeau residents carrying out the crimes.

“The only way to prevent crime is to have a greater police presence and combine it with effective home security,” he said.

“We got a camera installed purely as a deterrent straight after my neighbour’s car was stolen from her driveway.

“If we create enough deterrents then eventually things will settle down.”