Which Townsville suburbs you’re most likely to get your car stolen in

Townsville’s streets have become a thief’s playground, with shocking new data revealing the suburbs hardest hit by car theft over the past five years. SEE HOW YOUR SUBURB STACKS UP.

A map showing the top 10 car theft hotspots in Townsville over the last five years according to QPS data.

Car theft remains a significant issue across Townsville, with new data revealing the suburbs most impacted by unlawful use of a motor vehicle offences over the last five years.

To determine the car theft rates in each suburb, we cross-referenced the offence data from the Queensland Police Service (QPS) with the latest population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

To avoid skewing the results, we excluded suburbs with a population under 1,000.

Topping the danger list is Garbutt, where a staggering 1,005 car theft offences per 10,000 residents have been recorded — making it the city’s undisputed hotspot for unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Two stolen car crashed along Dalrymple Rd, Garbutt. Picture: Natasha Emeck

Snapping at its heels is North Ward (664 per 10,000), home to bustling The Strand and packed with both locals and visitors — the perfect storm for opportunistic crooks.

Townsville City follows as the third-worst offender, clocking 564 car thefts per 10,000 residents, with its central location and heavy foot traffic feeding the crime surge.

Rounding out the top five are Thuringowa Central and South Townsville (both 512 per 10,000), highlighting how both dense suburbs and busy movement corridors are prime targets.

Other crime-heavy suburbs include Aitkenvale (381), Douglas (364), Kirwan (328), Rasmussen (330) and Heatley, showing just how widespread the car theft epidemic is across the city.

But the citywide numbers are even more staggering.

According to the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, no other region in the state has seen a bigger long-term crime blowout than Townsville.

In the past ten years, Townsville’s car theft rate has skyrocketed by 192 per cent, with repeat juvenile offenders fuelling much of the rise.

And despite the LNP rolling out its Adult Time, Adult Crime reforms in December, 2025 has already seen a 10 per cent jump in car thefts in the first three months compared to the same period last year.

Even Police Minister Dan Purdie has been forced to admit the city’s crime levels are still “unacceptable” — though he’s sticking by the decision to scrap the engine immobiliser trial that ran across Townsville, Cairns and Mount Isa, slamming it as a costly failure.

Meanwhile, Queensland Police Union boss Shane Prior says immobilisers work, but stopped short of calling for the trial’s return.

“The value of engine immobilisers during the trial in Townsville and North Queensland has delivered clear evidence they stop vehicle theft,” he said.

“It’s time for the automotive industry to look at making these devices a standard feature for all new cars sold in Australia.”

Top 10 suburbs with the highest car theft rates in Townsville:

Garbutt – 1,005 offences per 10,000 residents

North Ward – 664 offences per 10,000 residents

Townsville City – 564 offences per 10,000 residents

Thuringowa Central – 512 offences per 10,000 residents

South Townsville – 512 offences per 10,000 residents

Aitkenvale – 381 offences per 10,000 residents

Douglas – 364 offences per 10,000 residents

Kirwan – 328 offences per 10,000 residents

Rasmussen – 330 offences per 10,000 residents

Heatley – 294 offences per 10,000 residents

Originally published as Which Townsville suburbs you’re most likely to get your car stolen in