Queensland crime surge ‘disturbing’ as Premier Steven Miles flags police helicopters for marginal seats

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said the 11.2 per cent surge in the state’s crime rate last year was “disturbing” and flagged an expansion of the police helicopter program into more marginal seats ahead of the October state election.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles, right, with new Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski in Townsville. Picture: Annette Dew

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said the 11.2 per cent surge in the state’s crime rate last year was “disturbing” and flagged an expansion of the police helicopter program into more marginal seats ahead of the October state election.

Responding to new figures released by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Officeshowing the number of young offenders had increased by
5.2 per cent to 11,191 offenders in 2022-23, Mr Miles said the state had “turned the corner” based on more recent police statistics.

“In the 2022-2023 financial year, there was a disturbing surge in crime rates,” Mr
Miles said.

“What we’ve seen at the start of this year, in the first three months of this year, is that the efforts of our police are paying off and that those crime rates have turned a corner, we are seeing a reduction in those rates across the state.”

The state government is expected to expand its fleet of police helicopters – which include an infra-red camera system with tracking capabilities – to Cairns, the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay where Labor-held seats are most at risk of falling to the LNP at October’s election.

Speaking from Townsville on Tuesday, home to a trio of marginal seats where youth crime has been a problem for years, Mr Miles said that the launch of a police helicopter in the city in January had helped to drive down crime rates.

“Already this year, we’ve seen a 10 per cent reduction in youth offending here in Townsville,” he said.

“Police are using this helicopter as their eyes in the sky,” Mr Miles said.

“The fact is, the sooner they intervene with an offender or with a stolen vehicle, the less crimes get committed and the less victims there are.

“We are seeing evidence that it is working and so we are considering what other regions in Queensland would benefit from a helicopter like this one.”

Cairns-based MPs Craig Crawford and Michael Healy, who hold their seats on margins of 3.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively, were invited to Townsville by Mr Miles on Tuesday to see “to see in operation, how the helicopter is helping Townsville police to fight crime”.

Visiting the seat of Bundaberg, held by Labor on a razor-thin 0.01 per cent margin, LNP Leader David Crisafulli said the government had no credibility on crime, blaming the jump in offences on its 2015 decision to water-down youth justice laws.

“There are now over 11,000 youth criminals in this state and they’re getting younger, they’re getting more brazen and they’re ripping the heart and soul out of communities right across the board,” he said. “What was once a youth crime wave has now become an absolute tsunami and it’s because of weaker laws and fewer police.”