Pacific Fair shopping centre’s ‘desperate’ offer to keep police beat shopfront rejected

The Gold Coast’s world-famous Pacific Fair shopping centre offered police $1 a year rent in a desperate bid to keep an onsite police beat open. Find out what went wrong

Bombshell reason police beat closed.

The Gold Coast’s world-famous Pacific Fair shopping centre offered a $1-a-year rental and free utilities in a desperate failed bid to keep its police beat, police and mall insiders say.

Management at Pacific Fair – the state’s largest shopping centre – made the “generous” offer when the lease came up for renewal in 2022, but it wasn’t accepted by the Queensland Police Service, multiple sources close to the offer have told the Bulletin.

“They (management) were desperate to keep them there,” a senior officer said.

“You cannot blame centre management, they did everything they could.”

An officer, aware of the negotiation process, claimed the police beat was quietly closed at the end of the 2020-21 financial year due to a lack of staff.

“Broadbeach is responsible for staffing the police beat,” the officer said.

“They can’t put cars on the road they’re that short – so they needed every spare person they’ve got. That is why it (the offer) was knocked back.”

The location of the closed police beat at Robina Town Centre. Picture: Charlton Hart

The Bulletin asked the Queensland Police Service if it was offered $1 rent and no utility charges in negotiations to remain at Pacific Fair.

In a statement, a QPS spokesman said extensive consultation was undertaken with the shopping centre and stakeholders regarding the closures.

“The Service is continuing to adopt an agile and borderless policing approach complimented with technology where officers are no longer restricted to a static location,” the spokesman said.

“The priorities of Gold Coast police remain focused on the safety of local communities.”

A spokesman for Pacific Fair said it was unable to comment on the specifics of contractual negotiations.

The shopping centre’s general manager Shaine Beveridge has previously said his team remained “open to any discussion regarding the return of a permanent police beat in the centre”.

Queensland Police Union representative Andy Williams has slammed the shopping centres over police beat closures.

The revelation comes after the Queensland Police Union broke its silence on the closures at Pacific Fair and Robina Town Centre.

In a letter to union members addressing the removal of the dedicated shopfronts, which was first reported six months ago, union representative Andy Williams blamed the retail centres for the controversial decision.

“They (resources) were withdrawn because the billion-dollar companies that own these centres attempted to jack up the rents,” Mr Williams wrote.

“The QPS weren’t funded to pay these rates so withdrew officers to nearby stations.”

The Bulletin asked Mr Williams whether he was aware of the peppercorn rental offer reportedly put forward by management at Pacific Fair.

A spokesman for the Queensland Police Union said it stood by the comments but multiple sources claim the $1 offer is correct, with one non-police source claiming “the deal was actually more attractive”.

It would not be the first time a major retail has offered heavily discounted rent to secure a dedicated police presence.

In June 2020 the Biggera Waters Neighbourhood Police Beat was relocated to Harbour Town Premium Outlets after the Queensland Police Service signed a lease of $1 with the centre.

It is the only police beat shopfront still operating at a major Gold Coast retail precinct following the closures at Broadbeach, Robina and Southport.