TURNING HOUSES INTO HELL
HOW RENTAL CARS ARE LEADING COPS TO DIM CRIMS
LARGE groups of junkies and drunks have been turning unoccupied Cairns homes into hovels as trespassing offences spike across the city with a historic Esplanade homestead among the targets.
About 80 trespassing and vagrancy charges were laid in FNQ during May, the second highest monthly total in 20 years.
LARGE groups of junkies and drunks have been turning unoccupied Cairns homes into hovels as trespassing offences spike across the city with a historic Esplanade homestead among the targets.
The latest crime figures show a slight resurgence in offending for May in the Far North following the COVID-19 induced lull, with drug, domestic violence, traffic and trespass charges providing the impetus for the increase.
Senior police have revealed they have been actively targeting squatting groups who have been found in homes and vacant blocks of land at Cairns North, Woree and Earlville.
Among them is the historic former family home of Dr Leslie Westaway on the Cairns Esplanade which was valued at $1.15 million and has since been sold to the nearby Acacia Court Hotel.
Cairns police Sen-Sgt Gary Hunter said police had been finding groups of up to 15 people using the homes for either day drinking or squatting.
One of the houses, an empty property on Sheridan St which is slated for demolition, was also found filled with syringes and other drug paraphernalia.
Sen-Sgt Hunter said a number of the homeowners were unaware what was occurring until notified by police. “They’re shocked,” he said. “Some of them don’t live in Cairns and they’re absolutely astounded about what their property is being used for.”
Sen-Sgt Hunter said the recent surge in squatting was likely due to the continued dispersing of anti-social behaviour from the CBD and other social issues possibly linked to COVID-19.
However, he said many of those found at the properties were not homeless and were just drinking during the day.
“We have been actively targeting public displays of any anti-social behaviour, particularly those involving privately owned property,” he said.
“We will continue to actively visit these locations.”
Among the outdoor private property being used is the site of the former Woree drive-in and several blocks off Ishmael Rd in Earlville behind an eye clinic.
Sen-Sgt Hunter said large quantities of rubbish were being left behind by the offenders. There were almost 80 trespassing and vagrancy charges laid in the Far North during May, the second highest monthly total over the past 20 years.
Drug offences climbed by more than 28 per cent from April, domestic violence contraventions were up almost 10 per cent and traffic offences were more than 350 compared to 214 in April.