‘It’s just not safe’: Crime forcing Ipswich residents to shop elsewhere

A violent citizen’s arrest at an Ipswich shopping centre has sparked safety concerns among locals who say are avoiding shopping there as crime spikes across the district.

An alleged assault and theft at Booval Fair this week has reignited safety concerns among community members who say they do not feel safe enough to shop at the centre.

Footage of teens being held down by members of the public at Booval Fair.

Wild scenes outside Big W inside the centre were caught on video and two teenage girls aged 15 and 17 were charged with a number of offences on Tuesday, July 5.

The safety concerns come just months after the controversial closure of the Booval police station.

An elderly resident said she no longer did her shopping at Booval because she didn’t feel safe.

“My brother was sitting in his car waiting for his wife and an (alleged) druggie tried to open the door,” she said.

“There are always arguments happening between people in the carpark. (It) has become such an unsavoury place to shop.”

A local businesswoman said she drove about 20 minutes to Yamanto because she “hates” going to the “scary” Booval shops.

However, a number of residents said they had never run into any issues at the centre and continue to shop there.

“I go there all the time and have very rarely seen anything like that (citizen’s arrest incident) happen,” said an Ipswich mum.

Booval Fair shopping centre. Photo: Claudia Baxter

In June police responded to 39 alleged crimes at the shopping centre, and 140 over the past six months.

Queensland Police statistics show 28 of the June incidents were theft related, however there were two assaults, a robbery, and someone had their car stolen.

Compared to other shopping centres across the Ipswich district these numbers are relatively low as police are called more frequently to Riverlink, Orion Springfield Central and Town Square Redbank Plains.

On July 6, Ipswich Police announced there has been an increase in theft, break and enters, and stolen cars, across region which was often aided by opportunistic thieves targeting insecure cars and homes.

Ipswich Metro Patrol Acting Inspector Emma Riley assured locals they were safe and police were working to address a recent spike in property crime.

“We really encourage people that if they are feeling unsafe or see anything, we really want them to report the incident … so we can prevent and disrupt any crime that is occurring or may occur in the future,” she said.

Inspector Riley said she had seen the footage of the recent citizen’s arrest at the Booval Shopping Center and said it was important for the community not to take matters into their own hands.
A man in his 60s was allegedly seriously assaulted during the incident.

“We are trained to apprehend any offenders and know the risks and how to assess them,” she said.

“We understand people want to do the right thing and of course we are very thankful when the community steps in and assists us but we really can’t stress enough that we don’t want people putting their own lives or any other innocent person’s life at risk.

“It can also compromise investigations for us.”

Inspector Riley said it was unclear if the current spike in property crime plaguing the Ipswich region was being led by juvenile offenders as investigations were yet to be concluded.

“We continue to target juvenile crime within the district to bring those offenders to justice,” she said.

“It is a multifaceted issue and very, very complex which includes things like substance abuse, domestic violence, and family dynamics.

“Our focus is on referrals (to other agencies) and early intervention.

“(Juvenile crime) is such a broader community issue – everyone is part of the solution.”

The Queensland Times contacted Booval Fair management for comment, it did not provided a statement and directed questions to its head office which was uncontactable at the time of publishing.

Originally published as ‘It’s just not safe’: Crime forcing Ipswich residents to shop elsewhere