Gold Coast police reveal how repeat offenders are responsible for high level of crime

A senior Gold Coast police officer has revealed how recent crime waves have been linked to the return of repeat offenders to the streets.

A senior Gold Coast police officer says a recent wave of crime can be attributed to the return of repeat offenders to the streets.

Acting Chief Superintendent Peter Miles said there had been an increase in recidivism and the number of serious violent offenders, with police repeatedly seeing the same names getting arrested.

“(There are) lots of repeat offenders. I’ve only been down here a year and I’m already being familiarised with quite a few names that are constantly popping up,” he said.

“We can’t arrest our way out of this. We need a long term approach.”

CCTV image of a gang breaking into a tobacconists on the Gold Coast. Picture: Queensland Police Service

The revelation comes as official police figures show a significant rise in people charged with unlawful use of motor vehicle offences on the Gold Coast in the first four months of this year, with 988 offences recorded compared to 868 in the same period last year.

It also follows a number of police operations to intercept stolen vehicles being driven dangerously in recent weeks.

Among the incidents were:

* A 15-year-old on bail clocked doing 180km/h in a stolen Audi during an hours-long chase across southeast Queensland.

* Boys aged 14 and 16 pursued through the northern Gold Coast in a BMW X4 stolen at Pacific Fair.

* Three people charged after tyre spikes were used to stop a stolen GWM Cannon ute at Bermuda St in Mermaid Waters.

A stolen car found burnt out on Warrego Way in Helensvale on June 7. Picture: Keith Woods.

Acting Chief Supt Miles said the theft of high end vehicles by young offenders was of particular concern to police because of the danger it posed to road users.

“It’s always a concern because when you’ve got young drivers between high powered vehicles, and let’s face it, they’re picking good cars to steal, that’s always a concern for us,” he said.

“To safely bring that to a resolution is important, not only with the offenders in mind but members of the public who are subject to these cars driving around them. It’s important to us.

“It is a concern. It’s all about making sure that that crime is solved and that the offender is brought to justice. What the courts do is the courts’ business.”

Acting Chief Superintendent Peter Miles. Picture: Annette Dew.

Acting Chief Supt Miles said while there were more recidivist offenders, the crime those individuals was committing was decreasing due to police action.

However he said more long term solutions were needed.

“It’s subject to much debate, you listen to the experts, you listen to the politicians, you listen to the police, you listen to the community most importantly, and it’s a complex situation and it’s going to take time,” he said.

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point where we’ve got 14, 15-year-olds driving around stolen cars at 200km/h full of drugs. Ten years ago, it didn’t happen that often.

“So it’s a problem that the community as a whole really needs to strangle and try and work out the best approach to try and reduce it.”

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Originally published as Gold Coast police reveal how repeat offenders are responsible for high level of crime