Toowoomba stolen cars: New crime stats reveal drop in thefts despite LNP’s attack on Qld government
The LNP has used newly-released crime figures for Toowoomba to slam the state government over the rates of car thefts — but an overlooked detail has revealed a surprising trend.
Police & Courts
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The LNP has taken aim at the state government over the “shocking” rates of car thefts in Toowoomba, despite new crime statistics showing the region was actually one of the most-improved areas in Queensland recently.
The latest report by the Queensland Statisticians Office into crime has revealed Toowoomba saw 741 reports of unlawful motor vehicle uses in 2022-23, a big increase from 261 in 2012-14.
However, this number represented a drop from 819 in 2021-22, and the document indicated Toowoomba was actually the best-performing statistical region in Queensland for car thefts (down 11 per cent between 2022 to 2023).
However the rates of car thefts, which are measured per 100,000 people, showed the Garden City was still well above the state (438.4 against 378.7).
Police opposition spokesman Dan Purdie accused the government of failing to keep residents safe.
“Every one of these numbers is a victim of Queensland’s crime crisis,” he said in a statement.
“Queenslanders can no longer trust the Palaszczuk-Miles Labor Government to fix the crime crisis they created.
“How many times have Queenslanders heard the Palaszczuk-Miles Government claim crime was going down when we now know it wasn’t?”
In response, police minister Mark Ryan said the government was continuing to increase police funding for Toowoomba but acknowledged there was “still more work to be done”.
“Any instance of crime is unacceptable, and that’s why the Miles Government and Queensland
Police Service have and will continue to work to bolster policing resources in Toowoomba, and across the state,” he said in a statement.
“This includes the implementation of Operation Whiskey Unison, and Project Booyah over the past 12 months.
“QPS report that since Operation Whiskey Unison began in March last year to March 2024, there has been positive signs, but there’s still more work to be done and that’s why we’ve developed the Queensland Community Safety Plan which has more police, more resources, more intervention, more prevention, more victim supports, and stronger laws.”
The QGSO report was a mixed-bag for Toowoomba, with rates of grievous assaults dropping dramatically while home break-and-enters held steady between 2022 and 2023.
However the rates of offences for stalking (up 226 per cent), armed robbery (up 50 per cent) were well above the rates for Queensland.
Concerningly, breaches of domestic violence protection orders had increased by nearly 32 per cent during that 12 month period.
Youth crime stats drop in 2024
In a statement, a Queensland Police spokeswoman said recent initiatives had led to a significant drop in youth crime offences in 2024.
“Local police work 24/7 responding to incidents, including reports of stolen vehicles, and conducting proactive intelligence-driven patrols to ensure a high-visibility presence to prevent offending and reduce youth crime,” she said.
“Overall, the Darling Downs Police District has recorded a 15 per cent drop in overall offences committed by young people from January to March 2024, compared to the same period the prior year.
“As part of Operation Whiskey Unison, a high visibility policing operation focusing on youth crime, Darling Downs police charged 780 people with 1379 offences, between March 2, 2023, and April 28, 2024.
“Of the people arrested, 250 of them were juveniles, who are facing 439 charges.
“While this decrease is a positive outcome, Darling Downs Police are committed to continuing relentless efforts to deter, disrupt and investigate property crime.”
The spokeswoman also Toowoomba’s Youth Co-Responder Team, which was secured partially due to The Chronicle’s Enough Is Enough campaign in 2023, was helping to intervene with at-risk young people.
“YCRT connect young people and families with programs, services and resources assisting with education, employment, health, cultural services and community,” she said.
“Toowoomba police also assist with a number of early intervention and prevention programs alongside partner agencies, including Project Booyah, aiming to break the cycle of youth offending and limit the number of young people continuing down the path of crime.
“QPS is committed to working closely with partner agencies to tackle property crime and youth offending from every angle to keep the community safe.”
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