Townsville taxi industry insider lifts lid on violence he witnesses in Flinders St
A taxi industry insider has lifted the lid on the “anarchy” going on in Flinders St, saying someone is going to die if nothing is done. See how it’s unfolded.
Townsville
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A TAXI industry insider has lifted the lid on the “anarchy” going on in Townsville’s nightclub strip, saying someone is going to die if nothing is done.
The insider, who did not wish to be named, has spoken out in wake of the state government cutting dedicated police overtime shifts in the state’s Safe Night Precincts, which includes Townsville’s Flinders St.
The expiry of the funding means police officers from suburban stations are forced to fill the gaps, with police sources saying it will leave the workforce stretched.
The insider said he feels more unsafe in Townsville than in a metro nightclub strip, and said the violence has never been worse.
“What we seem to have in Townsville is a Safe Night Precinct that has not evolved of the head-kicking days of the 1990s in Kings Cross,” he said.
On the weekend of July 23, the insider said there were two serious brawls, one involving “more than 40 people” and another where a man was “knocked out cold on the road”.
A Queensland Police spokeswoman confirmed police attended one assault that weekend, saying crews broke up a fight between a group of people about 3am on July 24.
The spokeswoman said about five people were banned from the Safe Night Precinct, while one male victim was taken to hospital for a minor injury.
The insider said many cabbies feel unsafe.
“It’s unacceptable, and it brings a shade and colour to the town night-life that is not conducive to attracting tourists.
“It’s just getting more of an occurrence now … (Flinders St) is dissolving into anarchy.
“Your personal safety on the job is your own responsibility, the money comes second.”
According to police data, there have been 81 offences in Flinders St East in the last four weeks, including 12 assaults.
The taxi driver said the violence had “without a doubt” become worse in recent weeks.
“This is not the time to be trimming the fat from a Safe Night Precinct budget.
“If this continues someone’s going to be permanently incapacitated or worse.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan has previously said there would still be a police presence in the precinct.
“The resourcing of police working in Safe Night Precincts has now transitioned from a temporary arrangement to a permanent business-as-usual arrangement,” Mr Ryan said.
“The Palaszczuk Government emphasised its continued commitment to providing extra boots on the ground, including in the Townsville region, and the resources to back our world-class police with a record $3 billion budget.”
But Opposition spokesman for Police Dale Last said it was putting a huge strain on police, and urged the government to bring the shifts back.
“It’s all well and good for the minister to say the Safe Night Precinct will still have a police presence but, if he was being upfront, he would admit that the presence in the Safe Night Precinct will now come at the expense of victims of crime elsewhere in the city,” Mr Last said.
“The axing of funding for police in Safe Night Precincts makes Townsville, and other centres where Safe Night Precincts operate, more dangerous.”
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Originally published as Townsville taxi industry insider lifts lid on violence he witnesses in Flinders St
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