Residents of Goondiwindi, Boggabilla break silence over lawless border towns sleeping with one eye open

Terrorised day and night, the frightened residents who live on the lawless streets of a border town have been reduced to praying they won’t be next to have their doors kicked in, cars torched or be assaulted in their own home. They want change and they want it now. Here’s why.

The deafening roar of dirt bikes echoes night and day, keeping residents of a tiny border town awake at all hours.

It’s a place where the post office and country club are two in one, and where the remnants of the local corner store and butcher shop sit in staunch defiance of the derelict that surrounds them.

Once made infamous by Australian country music singer Stan Coster, who dedicated a song to the local pub, the Wobbly Boot now sits dormant in the main street.

It was luck of the draw which landed *Elizabeth in the border town of Boggabilla, NSW.

Moving to the town for a fresh start, her new oasis crumbled on day one when she arrived at her new home to find the property trashed, household items stolen and scorch marks on the walls in one of the rooms.

After only a few short days in town their property was targeted again, this time while everyone was home.

Elizabeth said she was threatened with a knife while another adult occupant of the property was assaulted by the group of what she recalls was eight offenders.

“They booted in the back door, came in and saw the set of keys and ran straight outside, and we followed them outside and managed to get the keys back,” she said.

“They started to run off and then we heard our daughter yell from inside and realised there were two of them inside the house.”

The harrowing screams of Elizabeth’s daughter were enough to scare off the offenders who quickly retreated when they realised the young girl was inside.

Elizabeth said the traumatising event has continued to sit with her family.

Before Elizabeth had even moved in thieves allegedly broke in and set fire to a room inside the house and stole airconditioners.

“When there’s no crime Boggabilla is amazing, but all the crime is just horrific,” Elizabeth said.

The presence of police is often few and far, leaving offenders to run rampant and terrorise the community.

“Most of the time you see police out during the day pulling over truckies and checking them, but they’re not here at night-time when there’s three or four stolen cars ripping through a 50 km/h zone at easily 110km/h or 120 km/h.”

Elizabeth said it was not out of the ordinary to see children as young as six and seven out walking the streets late at night.

“I know there’s a football club out here but other than that the kids have nothing to do but roam the streets,” she said.

An alleged stolen vehicle was abandoned and set on fire in a laneway in Boggabilla.

A community left behind

Lifelong resident Garry Roberts knows this all too well, having witnessed the good, bad and ugly over the past 72 years.

Garry said offenders have no fear of local authorities, often doing burnouts in front of the Boggabilla Police Station, and even torching a stolen vehicle on the footpath outside.

“We’re such a small place and police should be able to control it but they have no power (over offenders),” he said.

“You can’t sleep at night, if it’s not the motorbikes tearing up and down the main street it’s stolen cars.”

For Elizabeth, when the roar of dirt bikes begins to echo outside she also knows it’s going to be a long night.

“That’s kind of our tell that’s something going to go on and on those nights we don’t sleep until the morning,” she said.

Garry estimates at least 60 homes have been the target of arson in Boggabilla over the past two decades.

A number of properties sit derelict in the streets of Boggabilla, with many having been torched and abandoned.

“There was one year where Moree lost 50 and it’s a city with thousands, we’re lucky if we’ve got 600 people living here,” he said.

“So much could be done to improve the place, we just need someone who can stand up and do it.”

Moree Plains Shire Council has received $13.4m in funding from the NSW government targeted at addressing youth crime in Moree.

It is unclear if any of the funding will be allocated to the Boggabilla community.

Moree Plains Shire Council has been contacted for comment.

Boggabilla and Goondiwindi residents share a mutual distaste for the cycle of crime plaguing their hometowns, repeatedly watching offenders ‘get away with it’ or disappear between borders.

“What are you supposed to do, it’s not like you can just walk into the court and speak to the magistrate, and ask them not to let (offenders) out,” Garry said.

Garry said a street brawl that broke out over a dispute between two families in early August had residents fearing the town was under siege.

It’s not uncommon for these types of violent outbursts to occur when there’s a dispute between two families, Garry said.

Footage of a street brawl in the border town of Boggabilla is making the rounds on social media, with NSW police now investigating. Photo: Facebook.

Government, police respond after weekend of violence

The following weekend a spate of violent robberies and car thefts in Goondiwindi sparking a concentrated response from Queensland police.

Between August 15 and 17 police allege a group of offenders targeted motels and private properties, threatening people with machetes and stealing vehicles before torching them across the border in Boggabilla.

The spree prompted Queensland Premier Steven Miles to fast-track the appointment of a cross-border commissioner to assist policing operations between states.

Goondiwindi Regional Council has now officially welcomed Queensland’s cross-border commissioner Ian Leavers to the region.

Cross-border commissioner Ian Leavers, Goondiwindi. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mayor Lawrence Springborg AM said Mr Leavers’ appointment presented a valuable opportunity to advocate for the Goondiwindi region and stressed youth crime was a statewide issue.

“He is not a minister of the Queensland government or the Queensland Premier, and we cannot place unrealistic expectations on Mr Leavers, particularly in relation to addressing youth crime,” Mr Springborg said.

“It is evident that the current laws are failing all of Queensland. Urgent reforms to laws are required to ensure consequences for offenders, and the safety of law-abiding citizens is the priority.”

Mr Leavers told the Courier-Mail a ‘border bubble’ could help solve some of the dysfunction between states.

“There’s not going to be a quick fix solution overnight, and that is going to be a real challenge,” Mr Leavers said.

“What I hope to be able to deliver … is a better intricate integration of services to make it more seamless.

Cross-border arrests made

Queensland police announced this week a teenage boy had been arrested in relation to alleged property offences in the Goondiwindi area in June.

The 15-year-old boy was charged with two counts each of attempted enter dwelling with intent and enter dwelling with intent and four counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and was denied police bail.

A 17-year-old Goondiwindi boy was also arrested for property offences alleged to have taken place in Toowoomba between August 11 and 14.

Goondiwindi station officer in charge Senior Sergeant Richard McIntosh said that extra resources remain deployed to the area to reinforce the police response to property offending.

“The extra boots on the ground have supported our efforts to both investigate and disrupt crime through high-visibility patrols and community engagement,” Senior Sergeant McIntosh said in a press release.

“I’d like to thank all of the residents, business owners, accommodation providers, service stations, licensed premises and more who have engaged with local police and provided us vital information.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners at NSW police to co-ordinate tactical action, high-visibility activities and investigative efforts to help hold perpetrators to account, seek justice for victims and keep our communities safe.”

Queensland Police investigations are ongoing.

NSW police announced on August 21 a man and two teenagers had been arrested in connection to a spate of armed robberies and vehicle thefts across the state’s northwest, including a number of break-ins in Goondiwindi over the same weekend.

Further inquiries are to continue as part of Operation Regional Mongoose.

Despite the arrests and increased police presence, unrest continues in the region.

About 1.15am on August 25 Queensland police were called to assist NSW police after two vehicles were reportedly trying to ram each other in Boggabilla.

According to a police brief of the incident, officers attended the scene to find that one vehicle had repeatedly rammed the other vehicle. Inquiries indicate the occupants then got out and pulled knives on each other, however had dispersed upon arrival of police. Inquiries are continuing by NSW police.

*Elizabeth’s name has been changed in order to protect her identity.

Originally published as Residents of Goondiwindi, Boggabilla break silence over lawless border towns sleeping with one eye open