Crime wave strikes Townsville, marking troubling start to March

Four teenage boys were charged and released from custody shortly after dumping a stolen car and leading police on a dramatic chase through Kirwan yesterday.

Four teenage boys have been charged and released from custody shortly after dumping a stolen car and leading police on a dramatic chase through Kirwan.

The police helicopter helped ground crews quickly track down a group of boys who fled on foot after a stolen Mazda BT-50 dual cab was dumped along Burnda St, Kirwan, around 2pm on Wednesday.

Four youths were taken into custody along Avon St, and one teenage boy could be seen openly laughing as police loaded him into the back of a van.

Another boy was taken into custody after being found in someone’s backyard on Lomond St.

All five boys have been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, but only one was denied bail.

A 15-year-old from Barringha was dealt with under the Youth Justice Act, and a 14-year-old from Kirwan was dealt with restorative justice.

While a 14-year-old from Rosslea and a 13-year-old from Wulguru were both granted bail.

A 13-year-old Palm Island boy had his bail objected and is due to appear in Townsville Children’s Court on Thursday.

Police have taken a group of youths into custody in Kirwan after a stolen Mazda BT-50 was dumped along Burnda St. Pictures: Natasha Emeck

In a separate incident on earlier on Wednesday, witnesses reported seeing youths hanging from the windows of two stolen car that were travelling in a convoy through the city.

They said the juveniles had their faces covered, and some appeared to be armed with bats.

It comes after a hectic few days for Townsville police, with at least six vehicles reported stolen on Tuesday.

This included a grey Hyundai i30 taken from Annandale, grey Mitsubishi Outlander from South Townsville, a black Nissan Navara from Hermit Park, a maroon Holden Commodore ute from Condon, a silver Opel Astra from Kirwan and a white Toyota LandCruiser from Douglas.

On Monday at least four vehicles were stolen including a white Hyundai Tucson Wagon from Townsville airport in Garbutt, silver Mitsubishi Outlander Wagon from North Ward, grey Hyundai i30 from Railway Estate and Holden Commodore sedan from Townsville City.

This sudden uptick in car thefts marks a troubling turn for Townsville at the start of March, particularly after a promising start to the new year.

Youths were caught on CCTV scoping out cars in Kirwan over the weekend. Picture: Facebook

Police data reveals unlawful use of motor vehicle offences dropped from 204 in November and 192 in December last year to 95 in January.

However, with February’s statistics yet to be published, concerns linger regarding the sustainability of this downward trend.

Detective Acting Inspector Dave Miles, speaking on the January downturn, attributed the decrease to the detention of a “significant cohort” of serious young offenders.

Four youths arrested after fleeing a stolen Haval Jolion in Railway Estate on March 1. Picture: QPS

Originally published as Crime wave strikes Townsville, marking troubling start to March