Shane ‘Danger’ Coleman has car stolen twice in six weeks
Cairns civilians hunting down their mate’s second stolen car in six weeks has brought into focus police calls for an urgent review of a pursuit policy.
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Cairns civilians hunting down their mate’s second stolen car in six weeks has brought into focus police calls for an urgent review of a pursuit policy that’s leaving officers powerless and pushing victims to take matters into their own hands to locate the vehicles.
Last Thursday Shane “Danger” Coleman was at his McCormack St workshop when a young woman allegedly snuck in and stole his recently acquired Toyota HiLux.
Six weeks earlier the coral farmer’s Nissan Navara NP300 was stolen from his Manunda home while he was sleeping.
It was later found dumped and torched.
Flying to Sydney to pick up a replacement vehicle, Mr Coleman owned the new HiLux for about a week before it was stolen, spiked by police to later be found smashed up and dumped in the carpark of the Earlville Shopping Town on Friday.
“There were 35 people driving around looking for it, not chasing it,” he said.
“I have a lot of really good friends that were out looking for the car, they were tailing it in the most legal way possible.
“People have had enough, that’s the crux of it, they are sick of people stealing things and the crime.”
Out-of-pocket thousands of dollars, Mr Coleman said he was “livid” about the Cairns crime situation.
“My vehicle was a mess, the car was full of crushed up beer cans, they have been jumping gutters, the suspension will probably be sh*t, they were shooting up meth in my car, they treat it as a playground and they don’t care,” he said.
“People say the system does this to them, but no it didn’t, people know right from wrong.
“I’m sick to death of it, everyone is, enough is enough, there needs to be a message sent out to say everyone is sick of it.”
Alleged offenders are often high on meth, running red lights and jumping gutters, weaponising stolen vehicles they know can’t be actively chased by law enforcement, according to police insiders.
A police chase policy introduced in 2012 states inherently dangerous pursuits should only be undertaken if those fleeing are an “imminent threat to life” or have been involved in or threatened a murder or other serious offences.
One senior Cairns police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that policy had to change.
“They drive past us and give us the finger and throw empty stubbies at us, they listen to our radio and we only have certain areas where we can use our stingers, our road spikes, and they know every single one of them,” the officer said.
“We can’t touch them.”
The officer said the government has justified a stance on the pursuit policy by stating no deaths have occurred since the policy came into play.
“But they don’t include (Matthew Field, Kate Leadbetter) who were tragically killed while walking along the street, they don’t talk about these other people that have died on the side of the road from stolen vehicles getting around and that and that irks me,” the officer said.
“It needs to change.”
The officer suggested a crack team of pursuit officers equipped with specially modified vehicles, armed with a mandate to box in stolen cars and quickly neutralise vehicles before cars get involved in fuel drive-offs, crashes into other vehicles, and joy rides that put other road users at risk.
“Surely there must be an alternative,” the officer said.
Mr Coleman said the woman who allegedly stole his second vehicle led officers around in a game of cat and mouse last week was known to police.
“She hasn’t learnt her lesson not to steal cars from people who have worked hard,” he said.
“This has cost me a fortune, the (insurance) excess has risen and I’m livid, absolutely livid, the culprits won’t be paying that and have left me high and dry.
“We need to do something with them.”
In an update from police three women have been charged in relation to the stolen HiLux.
A 26-year-old Westcourt woman was charged with six offences, including two counts of enter premises and commit indictable offence, and one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a vehicle, driving of a motor vehicle without a driver license, and receiving tainted property.
A 21-year-old West End woman was charged with sixteen offences, including five counts of attempted enter dwelling with intent at night, four counts of enter premises and commit indictable offence, two counts each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and attempted fraud, and one count each of enter dwelling and commit, trespassing, and stealing.
The 26-year-old and 21-year-old women both appeared before Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday September 23.
A 24-year-old Mareeba woman has been charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
She is due to appear before the Cairns Magistrates Court on October 9.
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Originally published as Shane ‘Danger’ Coleman has car stolen twice in six weeks
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