Police slug man with $4k fine after brazen border breach

A man was denied entry to Queensland so he ripped across paddocks and fence lines in an ill-fated attempted to avoid detection.

Police fined a man $4135 and sent back across the border after he was caught attempting to cross into Queensland in violation of the chief health officer’s directions.

Police have fined a man $4135 and kicked him out of Queensland after he made a cross-country dash into the state.

Darling Downs City Patrol Inspector Paul James said the man had first attempted to cross into Queensland at the Hebel vehicle checkpoint early Saturday but was knocked back.

The man has then probed a second border crossing and come across the roadblock and signs clearly stating that the road was closed.

Undeterred, the man crossed through a paddock adjacent to the checkpoint.

Insp James thanked the good work of police who tracked the man down by about 2pm.

He was directed to immediately leave Queensland and was slapped with a $4135 fine for failing to comply with the chief health officer’s Direction in relation to entering Queensland.

“We will be maintaining a strong police presence on those checkpoints in line with the tightening of restrictions from last Saturday,” Insp James said.

“The aim is obviously to prevent the spread of the virus from NSW into Queensland and the intent is to reduce this risk by reducing transit across the border.”

At the weekend Darling Downs and Southwest Police checked 1160 light vehicles and 1715 heavy vehicles at the eight staffed checkpoints that run along the border from Wallangarra to Hebel.

They turned around 378 and 19 trucks for noncompliance.

While the border restrictions were a hindrance to everyday life, Insp James said they were necessary to prevent widespread and long-lasting lockdowns within Queensland.

“The time we prevent the spread into Queensland is the time we have to get people vaccinated and minimise the effects of the virus,” he said.

Police have urged all Queenslanders not to travel to New South Wales, to get vaccinated and to get tested if they feel unwell.