Homeless crisis: Short St Southport businesses resort to canine patrols, fencing and floodlights

Businesses have revealed the extraordinary measures they are taking to protect staff from violent drug and alcohol-fuelled vagrants on a Gold Coast street.

SOUTHPORT businesses are spending thousands of dollars turning their buildings into mini-fortresses complete with canine patrols, fencing and floodlights to ward off violent and abusive vagrants.

A “hardcore” group of eight drug and alcohol fuelled vagrants is accused of defecating, urinating, spraying graffiti, stealing mail and causing property damage on Short St in the heart of the CBD.

Kevin Nicol, who heads up financial solutions provider Quill group, said in two decades of operating in the CBD he had never seen it so bad.

“What we are experiencing – Southport under siege – is not appropriate or acceptable,” he said.

“We have had drug addicts, alcohol-fuelled people coming up on our doorstep.

“We have called the ambos because they are fighting in the street. We have seen people overdose from drugs in the Seabank carpark.”

Short St in Southport. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The Bulletin has previously reported on children as young as 12 forming part of a 100-person homeless army settling on school grounds or top tourist spots like Broadwater Parklands in Southport.

Workers in Southport’s CBD have also been given duress alarms because they do not feel safe coming to and going home from work.

Mr Nicol said they had been forced to spend funds on additional fencing, roller doors, flood lights and canine patrols.

“We are finding the canine patrol is effective. It is the only thing that has been effective,” he said.

“Our landlord has been very supportive and picked up a lot of the cost.”

Mr Nicol is calling for a forum of Short St businesses and property owners to discuss the problem and look for a solution.

He said he had not seen one council candidate for the Southport division speak out on the issue.

“I do not call these people homeless. These are drug-affected vagrants. We are huge supporters of the homeless and have been big supporters of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.”

A person sleeping on a bench on Short St in Southport.

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A Short St building manager, who did not want to be named, said tenants had decided not to renew their leases because of the vagrancy problem.

She said they had been having sex on the premises, damaged a fire hydrant, and taken to breaking into letterboxes to steal mail in addition to urinating and defecating on the building.

Workers were also frequently intimidated and they had taken to employing security guards to ward off the threat.

“I have told my tenants that if there is an issue call the police and tell them your life is in danger so they come quickly,” she said.

“I do not know what the solution is. I do feel sorry for some of them who are genuinely homeless. But there is no reason for them to be destructive of other people’s property.”

A person sleeping outside the Uniting Church on Short St in Southport.

Queensland Police Inspector Scott Knowles, who took on responsibility for the Southport area just two weeks ago, said police are working towards a solution to the vagrancy issue.

He said that included establishing a permanent police beat in Australia Fair by May, more foot patrols and better co-ordination with other government agencies.

“The community concerns around that are valid,” he said.

“I went down there in my first week to see what is happening.

“Unfortunately it is one of those complex problems.

“Police have a function to play but so do a number of agencies.”

Insp Knowles said people need to promptly report issues to the police.

“We had a meeting with TAFE to discuss the issue. What we identified with them is a lack of reporting these issues to the police.

“Unless we are down there we will not hear about it.”

Outgoing Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow played down the issue when contacted by the Bulletin.

She said she disagreed with Mr Nicol’s assessment of the situation.

“This is not right. It was worse when they were all around the Uniting Church,” she said.

“I have hardly seen it in that area now (since they were ejected from the church compound).”

Cr Crichlow said she frequently called police to report issues around vagrancy and homelessness but a solution was hard to find.

She said there was a lack of accommodation for homeless people in the CBD.