Northern Gold Coast: why it’s a powder keg ready to explode as the blue line gets thinner
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers says this Gold Coast suburb is at a tipping point with violence out of control and a police force ‘a powder keg ready to explode.’
Crime and Court
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QUEENSLAND Police Union president Ian Leavers says the northern Gold Coast is at a tipping point with violence out of control.
“Police in Coomera, Nerang and the entire northern Gold Coast are at breaking point and the entire policing response is a powder keg that is ready to explode,” Mr Leavers told the Bulletin on a visit to Coomera police station on the eve of the state budget.
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“The calls for service on police and demands have increased astronomically yet the police numbers are stagnant.
“We don’t need petitions or lip service from politicians, we need action, actual commitments and assistance and we need it now.”
Mr Leavers’ call for the government to intervene “before the already lawless situation gets worse” was strongly backed by new Queensland Police Union south eastern region representative Andy Williams, who called on backing from management.
Sergeant Williams said police were being shuffled around to “plug holes” with 14 officers moved to Coomera about a year ago and more planned from Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.
“We know times are tough in Coomera and we will all do anything we can to help. However, shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic is not the solution,” he said.
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“I challenge the Chief Superintendent and the police hierarchy to stand united with the police union and call for more police for our area.”
Sgt Williams said the Coomera police division had the highest number of domestic violence, sexual offences and break-ins on the Coast.
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“Coomera has the highest rates of assault within the entire South Eastern Police Region. I project assaults to increase 37.5 per cent this year,” he said.
“Nerang police division has a projected increase of 21.7 per cent in assaults. Violence is out of control on the Northern Gold Coast and because police are so understaffed we are struggling to keep the public safe.
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“The Chief Superintendent, the police hierarchy and the government need to act before it’s too late.”
Coomera MP Michael Crandon said his area needed another 50 officers and should have similar resources to Southport.
Furious northern Coast residents in July announced they had formed a Pimpama Civilian Response Team of about 20 locals to make citizen’s arrests. They denied they were being vigilantes.
The Queensland Police Service urged residents to avoid taking action which risked their safety after a Facebook community page receiving numerous comments about break-ins.
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More than 150 incidents were recorded in May, and 130 in June. Last year, just 76 incidents were recorded in May and 90 in June.
Compared to five years ago, recorded incidents in the area have more than doubled, with more than 1000 crimes recorded in 2017 compared to about 400 in 2012.
The Police Union late last year had warned that police were “burnt out and morale has plummeted”, and the fastest-growing area in the state desperately needed 50 more officers.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Wilkins, at the time, said numbers in Coomera had increased by 12 officers and two full-time RAP teams with about another 20 officers were based there.
“I also allocated four of the five first-year constables which were for Gold Coast District to Coomera. Ongoing support is also provided to Coomera Division from other policing resources within Gold Coast District,” he told the Bulletin.
Assistant Commissioner Wilkins outlined his solution which was technology-based rather than funding expensive brick and mortar cop shops.
“Ideally the only time a cop would have to attend a police establishment is to come in and kit up and then spend their full shift in the field and then come back to the station and de-kit. All the necessary correspondence is done in the field and then they finish their shift and go home,” he said.
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