Queensland Police Union blames Pacific Fair and Robina Town Centre for police beat closures

The police union has reacted with fury after the real reason officers were pulled from the Gold Coast’s biggest shopping centres was revealed.

The Queensland Police Union has slammed the Gold Coast’s two major shopping centres, accusing them of forcing two Police Beats to close amid a crime crisis.

In a letter to union members, addressing the removal of the dedicated police shopfronts at Pacific Fair and the Robina Town Centre, union representative Andy Williams said the retail centres were responsible for the controversy.

“They (resources) were withdrawn because the billion-dollar companies that own these centres attempted to jack up the rents” Mr Williams wrote.

“(Rents) were previously subsidised, to full commercial rates.

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

Queensland Police Union representative Andy Williams has accused MP’s of politicising Gold Coast staffing crisis.

It’s the first time the Union has weighed in on the police beat closures after the Bulletin revealed six months ago that both the Broadbeach and Robina shopfronts had been quietly closed at the end of the 2021/22 financial year.

Mr Williams took aim at politicians in his letter, accusing them of using the staffing crisis and cuts to police resources across the Gold Coast to mount their campaign for the October state election.

He also challenged the state LNP, led by David Crisafulli, to reveal whether the party supported police beats.

“If police beats are to be a priority of an LNP Government, how much and when?” he said.

Pacific Fair General Manager Shaine Beveridge said police still have a strong presence at the centre.

“We remain open to any discussion regarding the return of a permanent police beat in the centre.” he said.

At the time it was revealed both the Pacific Fair and Robina police beats had closed, sources blammed the state government for the “unpopular decision”, which was protested by local officers.

They also claimed they were told funding needed to be “prioritised elsewhere”.

“The shopping centres were grateful to have us there with the amount of shoplifting and disorderly behaviour jobs we would get called to” one officer said.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Police Service said it made the decision to close the dedicated shopfronts to ensure optimum service delivery by not keeping officers stationed in a single location.

“Mobile Police Beats are the hallmark of a modern, agile, proactive police service” the spokeswoman said.

“Deployment of the Mobile Police Beat ensures local police will be more visible, more often on active patrols.”

The site where the Robina Town Centre police beat had operated until it was quietly closed in 2022.

Since officers were removed from the shopping centres the level of anti-social behaviour and crime has continued to rise.

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

Drugs, shoplifting and theft had also increased.

Robina Town Centre had also recorded increases in car theft and shoplifting.