Car theft victim Ken Cunliffe to argue case for tougher action on youth crime

A Toowoomba business owner who was the victim of a shocking home invasion earlier this year estimated Toowoomba’ car thieves have cost residents about $36 million in the past year.

Toowoomba businessman Ken Cunliffe estimates car thieves have cost Darling Downs residents about $36 million in the past 12 months.

He based his figures on a simple conservative equation of two cars stolen each night with the vehicles costing an average of about $50,000.

It is a staggering figure that betrays the collective trauma visited on the city each night and it has motivated Mr Cunliffe to take matters into his own hands.

In two weeks he will meet with Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard, armed with dozens of testimonies from Toowoomba’s victims of crime.

“Every single day a couple of cars get stolen, houses broken into, some are becoming violent or at least threatening violence,” Mr Cunliffe said.

“If we don’t get control of it then it is going to overtake the city.

“The same offenders get caught and then released, caught and then released.”

In April, Ken and Luanne Cunliffe joined with Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli in calling for the State Government to introduce a breach of bail offence for juvenile offenders.

In September, 2021, teens broke into Mr Cunliffe’s Middle Ridge home and stole his LandCrusier and while police were quick to apprehend the teens, he was shocked to learn that the boy was just 15-years-old but had amassed an 11-page criminal history.

About the same time four of his staff were also victims of crime after thieves broke into their homes.

Mr Cunliffe and his staff are not alone.

According to data released by the RACQ in August, there was an 89 per cent increase in insurance claims it received from its Toowoomba members from the 2020-2021 financial year to the 2021-2022.

Data released by Budget Direct in June showed 657 cars were stolen in Toowoomba in 2021.

“The justice system is completely failing,” Mr Cunliffe said.

“The core roles of the government are to keep the community safe, peaceful and prosperous but we are not safe or peaceful and we are not prosperous because all our stuff is being stolen.”

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard will speak with Ken Cunliffe in early October to talk about youth crime. Picture: Brendan Radke

In response to the rising youth crime rate the Queensland Police Service and the Queensland Government launched a statewide strategy that paired traditional policing with a panel of social services that wrap around the families of high-risk offenders to address the roots of their anti-social behaviour.

From April 30, 2021 to July 31, 2022, 305 teens were arrested in the Darling Downs District, which covers Toowoomba, Warwick, Goondiwindi and the South Burnett.

About 65 per cent of these were either remanded in custody or plead guilty when they were first brought before the Childrens Court.

After putting a call out of testimonies ahead of the ministerial meeting Mr Cunliffe said he was inundated with response and was shocked by how open respondents were about the fear and trauma lingered after the offence.

About 25 people have provided their stories and Mr Cunliffe said he hoped Ms Linard would take their concerns seriously.

“What we are seeing is that the government’s solution to date is simply not working,” he said.

“Something needs to change.”