New report reveals victims are not reporting their crimes in Cairns

A new survey says 30 per cent of people in the region don’t report their crimes to police, and of those who do, 70 per cent rated police handling of the crime they reported as “poor” or “very poor”.

White Rock woman Valerie Mandall, 69. said she felt disappointed with police after going to several times about a woman who she felt was targeting her.

A new survey says 30 per cent of people in the region don’t report their crimes to police, and of those who do, 70 per cent rated police handling of the crime they reported as “poor” or “very poor”.

The survey of 409 people in Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands and Townsville conducted by the Crime and Justice Action Group found 54 per cent needed a doctor and 12 per cent were hospitalised.

CJAG spokesman Aaron McLeod said the majority of survey respondents were women and many felt they had been “victimised by the system as much as by the crime”.

White Rock woman and survey respondent Valerie Mandall, 69, said she felt disappointed with police after going to them several times about a woman who she felt was targeting her. Ms Mandall alleged the woman started by throwing rotten fruit and rocks at her house, before the woman threatened to “slam her face into the concrete”.

She said she went to the police about it but they told her “there was nothing we can do”.

Spokesman for the Crime & Justice Action Group Aaron McLeod. Picture: Brendan Radke

After that she alleged the woman damaged her car and threw dirt in her face, she again went to the police for help but the police told her “there wasn't any evidence” to press charges which she said caused the situation to escalate again where the woman allegedly threatened to kill her with a knife.

After a complaint, police charged the woman with a common assault - and after a complaint was made that his charge was not serious enough, charges were upgraded.

The survey found $4000 was the average repair cost per person for a property crime, with it bumping up to $8000 when it included security upgrades made because of the crime.

A spokeswoman from Queensland Police Service said “QPS wants all Queenslanders to feel they are supported, safe and provided with a high-quality service when they need our staff most”.

“In 2023, we increased proactive patrols in the Far North region to drive down offending in hotspot locations like shopping centres, business precincts, parks and residential areas,” she said.

“We have been open and upfront about the issues we are being challenged with when it comes to crime in our communities, including economic factors, nationwide labour workforce shortages, a significant increase in the population, young crime offending and the increased reporting of Domestic and Family Violence.”

Originally published as New report reveals victims are not reporting their crimes in Cairns