STRETCHED BLUE LINE

Union claims city police have been diverted to Cape York

FRUSTRATED police say Cairns resources are being drained by the ongoing commitment at Aurukun despite spiralling property crime figures in the city.

An extra eight police officers are continuing to operate in the Cape York community each day who are drawn from Cairns, putting pressure on staffing across the district.

Car theft offences jumped more than 30 per cent in the region last year, most of which occurred in Cairns.

Senior management say there is no issue and the region has extra staff to meet the demand at Aurukun.

Far North police Chief Supt Brett Schafferius said they had intentionally grown the Tactical Crime Squad to 40, the largest of its kind in the state, in recent years.

“The sole reason to build in that capacity is to assist in the communities if needed,” he said.

But Far North police union representative Sgt Marty Bristow said Cairns residents could afford to feel short changed with the additional staff equating to four crews per day that would otherwise be patrolling city streets.

He said unlike other parts of Queensland, Cairns police district acted as a feeder for 13 indigenous communities, seeing resources pulled away when trouble arose.

Additional officers have been on the ground in Aurukun for close to two years after a riot broke out following an alleged murder.

The State Government committed $569,000 to policing in Aurukun for a further six months in the Budget, taking it through to December.

“It’s about time they made those positions permanent so there’s no drain on Cairns,” Sgt Bristow said.

“I think the Cairns public should be frustrated by the socalled justice system, the lack of police and the wave of property crime around our district.

“I cannot think of anything more invasive than to have someone break into your home while you’re asleep and steal your property. There should be mandatory prison sentences for offenders who break into someone’s home, yet the penalties on many occasions are less than traffic offences.”

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the rise in break-ins and car thefts across the city was disturbing and other regional centres were also getting slammed.

He also questioned current police resourcing.

“I don’t blame the police for this,” he said. “It seems to be happening in Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton too. It shouldn’t be happening.

“There’s got to be an optimum number (of police) and that doesn’t necessarily relate to just population either, but other social factors.”