CRIMINAL RECORDS

Figures reveal grand theft auto brings offenders to your door

POLICE have repeated calls for residents to lock up homes, cars and other possessions as shocking crime figures show just how widespread thefts and break-ins are across the city.

Manoora, Cairns North and Edmonton sit at the top of a list of Cairns’ worst crime hot spots.

Between September and December, more than 380 offences were recorded in Manoora alone.

The data reflects a year of increasing car thefts as well, as criminals refuse to stick to one region, sometimes targeting multiple suburbs across the city in a night.

KAMERUNGA took three months to rack up the same number of offences Manoora likely experienced in a night.

Thefts and break-ins headlined the criminal activity of the “M” suburb between September and December with police figures showing a total of 388 offences committed.

But while the Cairns Post has crunched the numbers for a three-month snapshot of where criminals are doing the most dirty work in the city, the police message remains the same: there is nowhere people should consider a crime-safe haven when it comes to opportunistic offences.

With the rates of car theft going through the roof this year, criminals remain mobile and agile, with little stopping them stealing a car in Gordonvale and driving it to Palm Cove to target unlocked homes.

Their tactics may change if they’re facing homes or unit complexes, but their goals remain the same.

Far North police boss Chief Supt Brett Schafferius said they were well aware of this lack of criminal “borders” and had identified offenders committing crimes in all corners of the city.

“Experience has shown that these thieves will commit crimes in a particular way in a suburb and our Property Crime Squad continues to target those offenders, based on operational strategies relevant to each group,” he said.

“The responsibility for this criminal behaviour lies squarely at the feet of the offenders.

“They make the decision to commit crime and we will continue to target and arrest them.”

Official 2016/17 crime figures released in October showed a 31 per cent increase in car theft figures across the Far North over the financial year, which was far higher than the 19 per cent statewide average.

The car theft figures are expected to be reflected in the 2017 tally, which is likely to be close to 800 vehicles: up from just over 600 during 2016.

Despite this overall crime in the region had only gone up 1.1 per cent.

New Cairns MP Michael Healy has already committed to holding urgent talks with Attorney General Yvette D’Ath and Police Minister Mark Ryan in the New Year.

In Townsville, which has suffered equally on the property crime front, the three Labor MPs have also planned an emergency meeting with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Chief Supt Schafferius said the police focus remained clear heading into 2018.

“We will continue to focus on the offenders and their criminal behaviour right across the New Year’s period and into 2018,” he said.

“I ask the wider community to help us wherever possible by securing their vehicles and homes to make it as difficult for thieves as possible. I also urge people to continue to report any suspicious behaviour to us.”

WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE OFFENDERS AND THEIR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR RIGHT ACROSS THE NEW YEAR’S PERIOD AND INTO 2018 CHIEF SUPT SCHAFFERIUS