Burleigh under siege: James St shopping strip rocked by assaults, threats, punch-ons
Staff afraid to walk to their cars, tourists yelled at and racially abused in the street, punch-ons and women assaulted. Now locals say something needs to be done to save their once idyllic beachside suburb. Read the full story.
Gold Coast
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Burleigh businesses owners are pleading for help to “claim back” their idyllic suburb from menacing troublemakers terrifying their staff and customers.
Workers in the legendary surfing hotspot’s James St shopping precinct say they are afraid to walk to their cars after finishing shifts, while customers are being frightened away, due to physical attacks, thefts and threatening behaviour from a small group of people who continually return to cause havoc.
In some of the more shocking alleged incidents, one woman was punched and spat upon.
In other incidents, it is claimed children were chased down a street, locals were challenged to punch ups and young girls wearing hijabs were the target of racist abuse.
Seadog cafe owner Brodie Green said people were afraid of what they felt was escalating violence in the area. “Store owners and staff are afraid to leave the shops,” he said.
Carmel’s Boutique manager Sarah Patchett said one individual had been scaring people on the street for the best part of a decade.
“People are scared when they’re walking down the street,” she said, due to general abuse, racist comments and yelling out of obscene obscenity-laden and racist sprays.
Ms Patchett said business owners in the area were anxious not to stigmatise anyone with mental health issues, and strove to help people experiencing homelessness. But there was also a need for the community to be kept safe.
“People are scared for their safety. I know one girl who finishes work on James St at 9pm. She’s living just around the corner, on the other side of the highway, but she gets an Uber to bring her home.”
Ms Patchett said some of the people causing havoc on the street clearly needed help, and businesses needed to see more patrols by police.
“We don’t have a police presence. We’d love a police beat,” she said.
Another shop worker said some of the anti-social behaviour was completely at odds with the otherwise welcoming nature of an area that was well patronised by tourists.
“It gives a bad impression, James St is very representative of the Gold Coast.
“For women and children that are coming in here it is especially scary and confronting.
“Safety is the number one concern and the second is our reputation. Small businesses rely on reputation.”
Another young woman spoken to by the Bulletin said she was afraid of walking the area alone – even during the day.
“I’ve been scared to walk around the area solo.”
The people spoken to by the Bulletin said part of the problem was groups known to congregate on benches at the junction with Connor St and scream abuse at customers of a restaurant popular with families.
Sharon Orlandini, a local who works at the nearby Realty Blue real estate agency, said: “They set up out the front of the restaurant where there are families and small kids. They’re screaming at people, telling them off.
“The stealing needs to stop, the violence. It needs to be safe here. It’s just insane.”
Ms Orlandini said contributing to a general sense of lawlessness was the behaviour of gangs of young people, who would brazenly walk out of shops with items without paying.
“Just yesterday (Wednesday), there were 10 to 12-year-olds wearing balaclavas inside Woolworths, daring each other to steal. This kind of behaviour creates an unsafe environment for everyone involved,” she said.
“The streets are not safe either, with kids on dirt bikes, their faces concealed, cruising around neighbourhoods, breaking into homes, and brandishing weapons. They show no regard for whether someone is home or not, stealing cars for the sheer thrill of it.
“Just three days ago, I personally encountered a group of five young individuals, again wearing balaclavas, throwing objects at passing cars.”
Ms Orlandini said businesses wanted more police patrols, saying the situation was “dire”.
“The community’s patience is wearing thin. There is a demand for increased police presence, and patrols day and night,” she said.
“It is time for authorities to listen and take decisive action. The future of Burleigh and the wellbeing of its residents depend on it. Enough is enough.
“Burleigh is at a crossroads.”
One man, a 45 year old, has been arrested by police and is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court next week on 30 charges including:
* Eight breach of bail;
* Eight commit public nuisance;
* Commit public nuisance within a licenced premises;
* Obstructing a police officer;
* Trespass;
* Unauthorised dealing with shop goods;
* Unlawful possession of stolen property;
* Unlawful damage;
He has also been charged with unlawful possession of a knife in a public place and two counts of unlawful stalking.
The knife charge and one of the unlawful stalking charges relate to an alleged incident in Palm Beach on November 1 last year. The second unlawful stalking charge relates to an alleged incident on James St in Burleigh Heads on March 14.
OPERATION WHISKEY LEGION BRINGS GREATER POLICE PRESENCE
Burleigh will be among the suburbs visited by police conducting high-visibility operations aimed at improving community safety over the next two weeks.
On Thursday the Bulletin exclusively revealed how specialist officers from across the state will flood the Gold Coast for ten days from Monday.
A key focus of the operation will be in providing a greater police presence in busy public areas such as shopping centres and train stations.
Officers will also be engaging with the public about their concerns in order to determine where resources are most needed.
Sources told the Bulletin that Burleigh was among the areas that would be taken in by the operation at some point during the 10-day Operation Whiskey Legion deployment.
They said identifying issues such as the problems on James St identified in the Bulletin today was among the operation’s objectives, with officers also engaging with other state government services that could help.
Speaking on Thursday, Acting Commissioner Steve Gollschewski – tipped to become the state’s new Commissioner – said Legion was all about ensuring the community is safe and feel safe.
“Our specialist police will team up with local officers to target those in our community doing the most harm,” he said.
“The Gold Coast community can expect to see police saturating areas like shopping centres and public spaces, boosting the policing presence and enhancing community safety.”
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