Rockhampton’s Torin O’Brien won’t back down from crime fight

Despite warnings to back down on crime, an outspoken Muay Thai fighter has scoffed at police requests claiming it is offensive to see police resources wasted protecting alleged criminals.

A Muay Thai fighter who led an angry mob to a house where alleged thieves were living has declared his group would not back down and were “taking neighbourhood watch to a new level”.

One day after causing one of the biggest public movements Rockhampton has seen Torin O’Brien says he will not step down and it was ‘offensive’ the police had called for the community to back off.

The former One Nation candidate, who led more than 100 people in a community rally against crime at the weekend, says he isn’t giving up the fight despite a public push by police today to stand down.

“The important thing is we just don’t come down one time, we don’t forget about it tomorrow,” he said.

“Tomorrow more people are going to get robbed and more people are going to have their cars stolen.

“I don’t care how old, if you are a danger and violent and you bring something to me, I am going to bring it back and it’s about time people stop walking on eggshells around them.”

A public meeting was hosted by Torin O'Brien on Sunday May 7 at Rockhampton's Central Park for people to stand together against crime.

Mr O’Brien hosted a public meeting at a park on Sunday afternoon where he encouraged the crowd to get involved in a neighbourhood watch campaign and take a stand.

The riled up crowd then took to the yards of homes across North Rockhampton where they believed alleged property crime offenders lived.

POLICE BOSS CALLS FOR CALM

Capricornia District Superintendent Glen Pointing at Rockhampton Police Station.

In the wake of the protests and a social media storm, Rockhampton’s top police boss Capricornia District Superintendent Glen Pointing asked the community to let police do the policing.

“I’d strongly encourage people not to take matters into their own hands,” Supt Glen Pointing said.

“It’s a job for the police to investigate these things and that’s what we will be doing.

“Not only could they hurt other people, it’s really dangerous behaviour.”

Speaking outside the Rockhampton Police Station, Mr O’Brien slammed Supt Pointing’s response, labelling it “offensive”.

“Yesterday they (police) managed to get 30 or more cops in one location within five minutes to protect one house (with occupants) known for (allegedly) stealing cars yet it seems we get nothing,” he said.

“So when they say ‘let police do policing’, it’s not just offensive, it’s a joke.

“Stop saying you’re wasting police resources, we saw all the resources wasted yesterday protecting a (alleged) criminal.

“Stop saying to go home because it’s unsafe, we are doing this because it’s already unsafe.

“Start working together and we might get somewhere.”

Mr O’Brien plans to meet with Supt Pointing and Rockhampton police this week, where he says he will put forward a “proposal for a neighbourhood watch patrol”.

Supt Pointing agreed to meet with Mr O’Brien and said they would discuss Mr O’Brien’s “intentions moving forward”.

“I appreciate the right of people to protest but any protest should be peaceful and lawful,” Supt Pointing said.

“Policing is for the police to do, for us solely.

“We rely on members of the public to give us information and we act on that information.

“We encourage him and everyone involved to remain calm and not put themselves in any danger.”

Supt Pointing emphasised for the public to not take the law into their own hands, referencing an incident in 2021 in Townsville where a woman died after an alleged vigilante chasing a stolen car veered on to the wrong side of the road and hit her head-on. The matters are still before the courts.

“Police are trained to investigate crime, they are equipped with the necessary equipment to apprehend criminals and that’s our job,” Supt Pointing said.

“I’ve been a victim of crime myself, repeatedly, over the years, and I understand but it’s a job for the police and we just don’t want to see anyone get hurt, any member of the community whatsoever.”

Police guarding a home in Norman Gardens as part of the anti-crime rally.

Police officers leaving an address in Berserker where the group spoke to neighbours.

During Sunday’s protests outside homes in Norman Gardens and Berserker, multiple people went up to doors and windows and demanded the residents come out.

One resident, believed to be a juvenile, escaped through the backyard and ran, chased by a group of civilians.

It was reported by the civilians that he was armed with a machete.

Supt Pointing said police will be reviewing footage to determine if any offences were committed and if charges will be laid.

There were at least 30 police officers and countless police vehicles blocking streets at the home as they followed when the crowd moved.

“Really what that does is leave the rest of the city exposed with a lack of police to attend to other jobs,” Supt Pointing said.

“We investigate and arrest numerous offenders every day and we will continue to do that.

“We are never going to eliminate all crime, it takes time.”

Police standing guard at the home in Norman Gardens as the crowd refused to leave.

Mr O’Brien had multiple discussions with the lead police officer at the homes and ordered the crowd on several occasions to “act normal” and within protesting laws.

“I want to go down more of a legal and political route,” he said.

“What I was trying to do was manage legalities, I don’t want anyone to get in trouble, we want police on our side.”

Torin O'Brien speaking with Rockhampton police during the community rally.

He did admit things could have gotten ugly.

“If those 100 plus people decided not to listen to the police yesterday and do what they want, they could have, there were that many,” he said.

“That’s really important that we don’t let that happen.

“If someone goes out and does something stupid, it’s not part of what I am doing but I am not going to say they don’t have a reason.”

SHOCK INTRUDERS SPARK ACTION

Mr O’Brien was motivated to take matters into his own hands after his sister, who had a newborn, woke up in his Nanna’s house with three male intruders in her room.

“The crime wave has been big for a while, I hadn’t been affected until now when my sister and her newborn woke up in their room alone with three other men in there,” he said.

“I’m sure as hell just not going to let that happen, we’ve gotta find these people.

“These grubs have messed with the wrong people. I’m not going to put up with it.”

Mr O’Brien initially shared a Facebook post and offered a $5k reward for people to “rat on their mates” and share the addresses of the offenders.

“The reward was total nonsense, it was a trick to get attention and it worked,” he said.

“It has blown up, this is what I wanted to happen, I wanted police, I wanted media, I want people to hit up their MPs, I want people to think seriously about the neighbourhood watch.”

Mr O’Brien told The Morning Bulletin he received more than 100 messages from people he didn’t know with the alleged offender’s name, their friend’s name, their addresses, the places they hang out, where they hide their stolen cars, with some messages even from members of their own family who have had enough.

The group at the public meeting at Central Park, Rockhampton, on Sunday May 7.

A rally was held at Rockhampton’s Central Park where Mr O’Brien motivated the group of more than 100 people to get involved in a neighbourhood watch and take a stand as police vehicles did multiple drive-bys around the park.

“This is a group of people who have been robbed, they have had their cars stolen, they are victims of the crime wave, some have lost loved ones, people are dying and people have had enough,” he said afterwards.

“Start pushing the police and government in the right direction because right now people here are scared to leave their own homes.

“We’ve got a plan, we know where they are and where they hang out.

“We’re not violent vigilantes, we are just law abiding citizens who have had a gutful.”

‘PEOPLE ARE ALL SCARED IN THEIR OWN HOMES’

A young man, Dave, introduced himself to the crowd at the rally and shared his story.

“I grew up in Rocky, I left when I was 21 and I’ve only been back a year now,” he said.

“People are all scared in their own houses, my Mum and Dad aren’t going out at night, they are locking doors … people across the road, three nights in a row they have broken into.

“I’m getting a bit emotional because I grew up here and I’ve come back because I love the place, and to see honest, innocent people scared in their own homes, it’s beyond a joke.”

Daniel White led the crowd on Sunday across homes in north Rockhampton believed to be where the alleged offenders lived.

Daniel White was the man who led the charge of knocking on the doors of alleged offenders’ homes.

“The response we wanted was just to let these juveniles know as a community we aren’t going to stand for it any longer, we are going to go out on our own, the police are doing what they can, unfortunately their hands are tied,” he told The Morning Bulletin after the rally.

“We want to work well with police, we don’t want to break the law or anything

“Just to show our presence so these juveniles pull their heads before anything else has to happen.”

The crowd went to an address at Norman Gardens where they believe alleged known offenders live.

Mr White said he was passionate about getting involved out of concern for the elderly who are “living in fear in their own private houses (and) who can’t sleep at night”.

He said legislation needed to be changed and repeat offenders shouldn’t be on the streets.

“We saw last week down south (in Maryborough) those three innocent people, we don’t want that to happen in Central Queensland,” he said.

“We need offenders to be locked up and taught a lesson.”

CALLS FOR TOUGHER PENALTIES

Mr O’Brien ran as a candidate for the One Nation Party in the 2020 state election, and said crime was a focus back then.

“We’ve got the same sort of thing happening again,” he said.

“Is this political? Of course it is, the politicians are doing nothing.”

He called for tougher penalties.

“We’ve got to stop pretending they can do adult crimes and have kid punishment,” he said.

“Reoffending is a big issue but it’s also how soft the courts are.

“People are dying, it’s not just a couple of kids doing burnouts anymore, people are dying and people are living in fear.”

Originally published as Rockhampton’s Torin O’Brien won’t back down from crime fight