New data, compiled by Budget Direct, reveals Coast’s ‘safest’ suburbs when it comes to property crime

New data has shown the Gold Coast’s worst suburbs for property theft, with some areas especially badly affected. SEE HOW YOUR SUBURB RATES - CHECK OUR INTERACTIVE MAP >>>

If you live in Surfers Paradise, or Broadbeach you are more likely going to be a victim of property crime compared to those residing in Hinterland parts of the Coast, according to a new ‘safe suburb map’, compiled by an insurance company.

And according to data released by Budget Direct, not one Gold Coast suburb has a “lower than average risk” when it comes to property crime.

The map enables people to search postcodes to see how many property crimes occur per 1,000 homes.

The postcode of 4230, which takes in Robina Town Centre Shopping Centre and surrounds, has a crime rate of 382 crimes per 1,000 properties – the highest on the Gold Coast.

According to Budget Direct, the Queensland state average is 130 crimes per 1,000 properties.

Other property crime hot spots included Southport, through to Surfers Paradise, and Broadbeach to Mermaid Beach.

Robina has the worst rate of property crime on the Gold Coast.

The postcode that covers Coomera, Upper Coomera and Pimpama also recorded 202 crimes per 1000 properties.

The safest areas, according to Budget Direct, were away from the water including Tamborine, which recorded a “lower risk” scoring.

Criminologist Wayne Petherick, of Bond University, said a range of factors were behind why some suburbs were targeted more than others.

“If you’ve got places like Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach you’re probably going to find that that’s partly related to being high tourist areas,” he said.

Tourists usually bring cash and other expensive goods, and are at time given a false sense of security when staying in high rise buildings, he said.

Professor Petherick said thieves would also look for a “target rich environment” in high density estates compared to “sparsely populated areas”.

He said the regional areas could in fact be considered safer.

“I think that they would tend to be safer because they are remote. It’s your high density areas that will represent more targets,” he said.

“We also see in places like Tamborine and Springbrook they do tend to have more of a sense of community, and people who live in those remote areas may also be … at home a bit more often.”

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