Cuts to police blammed for rise in crime at major Gold Coast shopping centres

Major Gold Coast shopping centres are dealing with a surge in theft, stolen cars and other crime. It’s forcing the hand of some business owners. See how they are reacting

The Gold Coast’s major shopping centres are grappling with an upsurge in crime following a decision to pull police resources from the busy retail precincts.

Police beat shopfronts at Pacific Fair in Mermaid Beach and the Robina Town Centre were quietly closed on 30 June 2022, the Bulletin revealed last year.

Since their departure, the centres have seen a rise in anti-social behaviour.

The number of assaults at Pacific Fair has almost triple in 12 months, up from 13 in 2022 to 35 for last year.

For the same period drug offences more than doubled from 91 to 241. In the past 12 months, 21 cars have been stolen.

The centre has also seen a spike in shoplifting and theft with 747 incidents in 2023, that’s more than 14 per week on average. It compares with 511 incidents in 2022.

Four children arrested over alleged stolen car at Pacific Fair. Picture: 7NEWS Gold Coast

On Tuesday police swarmed Pacific Fair after a group of juveniles allegedly stole a white Mercedes-Benz from the carpark. Officers pursued the vehicle for about an hour before it stopped at a block of Olsen Ave shops near Southport. A 12-year-old, two 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old were taken into custody. It’s not an isolated incident according to business owner Tony Lacaze who said escalating crime situation why he sold his Pacific Fair pharmacy in December.

“When the Police Beat was there, they would be straight onto any shoplifters. They would either apprehend them (offender) or they would chase up the issue and handle the prosecution” Mr Lacaze said.

“Then they left. It just seemed to snowball. We had shop lifting several times a day, it’s just out of control.”

In the lead up to selling, Mr Lacaze said he conducted a stock take revealing more than $70,000 in cosmetics alone was stolen in less than 12 months.

“We had one young girl who stole from me six or seven times, we put her through the courts, then we got a call she was going to be doing restorative justice. The very next day she was back stealing.”

The 67-year-old still owns one Pacific Fair business and has kept in touch with the new owners of the pharmacy experiencing the same problems.

“It can only get worse, I can’t see it improving when there is no police.”

Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek says more police are needed.

Other businesses are at their wits end, according to MP for Surfers Paradise, John-Paul Langbroek.

“This is the equivalent of a decade ago when bikies were taking over and running riot. This is just a different type of crime and the state government clearly is doing nothing about it” Mr Langbroek said.

“I am absolutely adamant, there is no doubt the decision to remove the police beats is affecting the crime rates”.

Mr Langbroek said shop owners were no longer reporting theft and criminal offending, claiming they regularly are not followed up by police.

“When there are issues, you put more resources there to sort the issues. Obviously we have fewer police resources.”

Pacific Fair centre manager Shaine Beveridge said staff, shopper and retailer safety was top priority.

“We have a robust security plan that includes CCTV and regular patrols,” he said. “We remain open to any discussion regarding the return of a permanent police beat in the centre.”

Robina Town Centre police beat was quietly closed in 2022. Picture: Charlton Hart

The closure of the police beat shop front at Robina Town Centre has also been followed by a noticeable crime lift. On Tuesday the precinct was targeted in a smash and grab. A teenage boy, still in his school uniform, was captured on camera breaking his way into a glass cabinet with a rock. He grabbed three Iphones before he was chased off by security.

Theft and shop lifting at Robina Town Centre grew to 161 offences in 2023.

The number of stolen car related incidents was at seven, up from three offences over the previous 12 months.

Break ins were also up by a quarter. When it was revealed the police beats had closed, a Queensland Police Service spokesman said it was part of a move towards a more “agile and borderless” service allowing officers to be out patrolling and responding to call-outs. They said officers were still rostered to patrol the centres on shifts.