Frustrated Coomera residents call for new police hub, more officers, amid claims it can take cops hours to respond to jobs
Residents of a northern Gold Coast suburb are demanding action after shock figures showed a massive surge in calls to police in their area, amid claims it can take officers ‘several hours’ to arrive at jobs.
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COOMERA MP Michael Crandon and more than 1000 community members have joined forces to fight for a new police hub and an influx of officers in the fastest growing region in Australia.
However the Queensland Police Service have snubbed calls to beef up the police presence in the suburb, saying there is “sufficient staff and resources”.
It comes as police union elections have caused a massive rift between senior managers and officers after a spotlight was shone on understaffing in the Gold Coast’s fast growing northern suburbs.
Mr Crandon provided data showing calls for service in Coomera jumped 57 per cent in the nine months to February 28.
He supported a petition to Queensland Parliament by Coomera’s Jennifer May (Police Hub for Ormeau/Pimpama Region), which calls for the hub and 35 more officers. It had 1080 signatures as of lunchtime today.
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Mr Crandon said he was concerned police do not have the numbers to respond adequately in his electorate.
“People are talking to me about police taking several hours (to arrive at crime scenes),” he said.
“It’s not because they don’t want to be there, it’s because they have a shortfalls in the number of police on duty and of course they have to prioritise those calls for service.
“If a domestic violence issue is happening, or some bikie gang bar fight is going on – because they happen regularly up here as well – then obviously they have to take priority over a break and enter.”
Mr Crandon said Coomera Police Division covers more than 500 sqkm.
One resident backing Mr Crandon’s call was stay-at-home-dad Stewart Brooker.
He said the State Government “have been ignoring this issue for far too long”.
“To put in context, there are 25,000 people in Pimpama/Ormeau. For that many people there should be around 50 police officers in that area. Currently there is one,” he said.
“In the area that Coomera station covers there are 128,000 people so it should be staffed with around 250 officers, currently there are only 70.
“There seems to be a real lack of planning the suburbs.”
Minister for Police Mark Ryan said he would consider the petition and directed questions to Queensland Police.
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In a statement, Queensland Police said the division has a “24-hour police presence” and 10 full-time officers were reallocated to Coomera last year “to meet growing demand”.
“Importantly, Coomera officers respond to calls for service with the assistance of personnel from centrally functioned policing units,” it read.
Police said resources on the Gold Coast could be shifted around as needed, assisted by a Tasking and Coordination Centre which opened in October 2017.
“Modern day policing is about having agility in service delivery,” the statement said.
Two Rapid Action and Patrol teams have been temporarily relocated to work from the Coomera Police complex.
A total of 2602 offences were reported in the division between February 28 and May 31, police data shows.
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