Gold Coast to be ‘saturated’ with police in Operation Whiskey Legion

A top Gold Coast cop says the force is ‘stretched’ ahead of more staff from Brisbane boosting ranks to flood hotspots. See which at-large offenders he’s confident the operation would have nabbed

Keith Woods and Ryan Keen

3 min read

April 18, 2024 - 7:00AM

Gold Coast Bulletin

Police crack down on crime in Ipswich and Logan

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UPDATE: A top Gold Coast officer says a looming 10-day high-harm crime blitz - bringing in specialist extra staff from Brisbane to “saturate” hotspots - would have snared a smash ‘n’ grab supermarket and homes break-in crew.

An extra 30 to 40 police are bolstering the Gold Coast ranks on the ground from this Monday to target crime in tourism and transport hubs plus shopping centres city-wide, the Bulletin revealed on Thursday.

Operation Whiskey Legion - that already sent a Gold Coast police squad to flood Ipswich and Logan to nab offenders who commute and commit crime on the Glitter Strip - is coming to the Coast after top brass said it had “substantial results” up north.

Gold Coast District Superintendent Peter Miles said the Ipswich and Logan focus had impacted crime on the Gold Coast: “One of our senior sergeants who looks after the state did see a decrease on the Gold Coast - many of the offenders of the Gold Coast crime scene come from outside this district.

Gold Coast Superintendent Peter Miles: “We’ve been taking care of business as best we can. Could we do better? Probably.”

“We went up there and the benefits we saw were pretty good - even though we weren’t taking care of business in our own backyard,we saw benefits.”

Asked about the extra officers coming and if resources or time were impeding Gold Coast police, Supt Miles said: “Bit of both, we are stretched, we have a lot of priorities. The commands have seen it is a situation where they can assist and give us the tools to assist and skillset to and with the new acting commissioner coming on board he’s recognised that as well.

“It’s no secret domestic and family violence is taking up a lot of time - and it’s worthy of our time,” Supt Miles said.

“Look it always helps when you have extra staff come and assist. We’ve been taking care of business as best we can. Could we do better? Probably. Give us an extra 1000 police, of course we are going to do better.”

A group of young thugs broke into multiple businesses overnight Wednesday, including forcing their way into a Coles in Upper Coomera. Asked if the looming operation would have helped catch them, Supt Miles said: “If police were rostered and out andabout, they’d have been in that area, performing a cordon, with the dog squad that’s part of this operation. With an effective cordon, perhaps that offender would have been caught.”

OPERATION WHISKEY LEGION TO BLITZ GC HOTSPOTS

EARLIER: Specialist police from across Queensland are preparing to saturate shopping centres and transport hubs on the Gold Coast in a massive operation targeting high risk crime.

Beginning on Monday, Operation Whiskey Legion will see officers from Highway Patrol, the Crime and Intelligence Command, Rail Squad, Water Police, Dog Squad and Crime Prevention joining forces with local police to crack down on crime in known hot spots.

Acting Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the operation was designed to ensure the community is safe and feels safe.

“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,” he said.

“ … The operation will focus on the high-harm crime categories such as robberies, burglaries, serious assaults, vehicle theft and Domestic and Family Violence.

“There will also be a particular focus on engaging with victims of crime to ensure we are keeping them updated and supported through the process.”

Acting Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

The operation previously ran for ten days in Ipswich and Logan, with Acting Commissioner Gollschewski saying it delivered “substantial results”.

“The first deployment of the operation in Logan and Ipswich saw a significant surge in police resources resulting in a high number of charges and we’ll be looking to replicate that impact,” he said.

Police conduct a raid during Operation Whiskey Legion’s deployment in Ipswich and Logan.

Gold Coast District Superintendent Peter Miles said police in the city were looking forward to having the additional resources deployed to “supercharge” local efforts.

“We’ve seen the results that have taken place following the deployments of Legion in both Logan and Ipswich and we are eager for those resources to come to the Gold Coast and help us in those areas where the community has recently experienced harm and fear,” Supt Miles said.

“Our Gold Coast community members will notice extra officers and Police Liaison Officers (PLOs) in our busy areas, including our safe night precincts, major shopping centres, and transport hubs, not just performing enforcement, but also engagement about crime prevention, wanding and ongoing activities.

Police officers taking part in Operation Whiskey Legion pictured during a briefing. Picture: QPS.

“Motorists can also expect to see police on our local highways and roadways, targeting those that choose to engage in not just drink and drug driving, but also dangerous and careless driving.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve with Whiskey Legion here on the Gold

Coast.”