Police Minister ‘gaslighting’ Townsville on car theft crisis by cherrypicking stats, says shadow minister Glenn Butcher

Police Minister Dan Purdie has been accused of gaslighting Townsville residents into thinking car thefts have gone down in the city by “cherrypicking” statistics to suit the LNP’s preferred narrative.

Police Minister Dan Purdie and Labor Shadow Police Minister Glenn Butcher have clashed over crime in Townsville and the engine immobiliser trial.

Police Minister Dan Purdie has been accused of gaslighting Townsville residents into thinking car thefts have gone down in the city by “cherrypicking” statistics to suit the LNP’s preferred narrative.

Shadow Police Minister Glenn Butcher delivered the scathing assessment in Townsville this week, insisting the LNP’s claims don’t reflect the harsh reality felt by crime-weary residents on the ground.

“They’re picking data standing out in front of William Street down in Brisbane, saying it’s working. Green shoots, car thefts are coming down. And you come up here, and you hear and talk to people, and they say, ‘Well, no, it’s not’,” Mr Butcher said.

The Labor MP pointed to the latest data from the Queensland Police Service which shows there was a 10 per cent increase in car thefts in Townsville in the first quarter of 2025.

From January to March 2025, there were 408 unlawful use of motor vehicle offences, up from 371 over the same period last year.

But the LNP is clinging to a broader figure, claiming a 6 per cent drop in car thefts when you also include offences from December 2024, when their new Making Queensland Safer laws had barely kicked in, through to March 2025, compared to the same period the year before.

Some observers have quietly questioned the approach, noting it draws in December 2023 — a record breaking year for Townsville where the city logged its worst ever car theft figures — which has the effect of making the current numbers appear more favourable.

Mr Butcher claims the LNP was simply “cherrypicking” the data that makes them look good rather than what matches the reality of what’s being felt on the ground in Townsville.

“People in Townsville know what it’s like, and they know what it looks like. They see it as they drive past, and nothing’s changing,” he said.

His fiery comments come as Labor calls on the LNP to reinstate the engine immobiliser subsidy, urging the government to use every tool available to combat crime in embattled regional cities like Townsville.

But Police Minister Dan Purdie, himself a Townsville-born former police detective, has hit back hard, branding the immobiliser scheme “a costly Labor failure.”

Minister Purdie says a Queensland Police evaluation across Cairns, Townsville, and Mount Isa found it had been ineffective — despite the government offering 20,242 vouchers for a $500 subsidy, only half were redeemed.

“The Engine Immobiliser Subsidy Trial is another costly Labor failure, created to cover up the youth crime crisis,” Mr Purdie said

Pressed by this masthead on whether the QPS evaluation report would be released publicly, Minister Purdie didn’t directly answer, instead saying: “The review of the trial found the immobilisers had no impact on car theft rates during the trial period. In fact, there were several instances where vehicles fitted with immobilisers were stolen.

“On recommendation from the QPS, the government will reallocate the remaining $4.5 million to other crime prevention programs.”

Originally published as Police Minister ‘gaslighting’ Townsville on car theft crisis by cherrypicking stats, says shadow minister Glenn Butcher