Club overhauling safety measures after spate of break-ins

SIX break-ins in four weeks has prompted concerned members of Gold Coast junior football club to call for action to stop a crime wave.

SIX break-ins in four weeks has prompted concerned members of a Gold Coast junior football club to call for action to stop a crime wave.

The Palm Beach Currumbin Junior AFL club is overhauling its safety measures and installing expensive security, including new doors, windows, locks and a suite of security cameras covering the club house and canteen.

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Police on the beat around the Palm Beach State Primary School. Picture Glenn Hampson.

Division 13 candidate Katrina Beikoff, the club’s senior vice president, said the break-ins were having an impact on operating costs and the morale of volunteers.

“When you look at the cost of the damage, repairs and the emotional cost of these types of crimes, they are not petty crimes. Individuals and potentially large sections of the community are suffering,” Ms Beikoff said.

The club had break-ins over three consecutive nights.

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Katrina Beikoff (second from right), candidate in the Division 13 poll in the council election, with Palm Beach Currumbin Junior AFL members – they are concerned about increasing crime impacting on their club.

Ms Beikoff said the community could support police by providing information through social media.

“Unfortunately, everything we hear about solutions to the crime wave is blame-shifting and reactive or asking police to do more. But I think the community can support police to do their jobs as we are the eyes and ears of where we live. We need smart ways to ensure that information is provided to police as a resource, not as an extra task they need to do.”

Division 13 Gold Coast City Council candidate Katrina Beikoff.

Ms Beikoff said she would, if elected as councillor, work with police on preventive measures and providing seamless flow of information from the community to officers to help cut local crime.