NOT A GOOD LOOK
Pressure on to clean up streets
FRUSTRATED police and fed-up business leaders are spearheading calls for a renewed plan to tackle the issue of drunken itinerants causing havoc in the Cairns CBD.
Reports of tourists being abused, public urination, drinking, swearing and fighting have again been flooding Cairns police in recent weeks.
They have announced a fresh operation focused on tackling the issue with extra patrols set to monitor problem spots including the Esplanade and Sheridan St. This cannot come soon enough for business owners who say the impacts on the tourism industry are serious.
Community leaders have also made a renewed call for a better holistic, multi-agency approach to the issues to find a long-term solution.
A CAIRNS regional councillor is working to clean up the streets of the city but admits it will not happen overnight.
Cr Richie Bates said he was well aware of ongoing issues involving the itinerant population which has spiked in the past few weeks.
He described them as “living lifestyles that were dangerous to themselves as well as other people” and said the eventual solution would take a holistic approach involving multiple agencies and not just police responding to bad behaviour.
“The worst thing we can do is do nothing,” Cr Bates said. “We’ve got to keep going.” Cr Bates said police needed support and he could understand the frustrations of business owners sick of offensive behaviour outside their premises.
“It’s not a standard we should accept anywhere,” he said.
“We take a lot of pride in the CBD and how it appears to visitors.
“It’s just an outrageous situation of them being constantly moved on. We’ve got to go deeper than that.”
Currently drunken itinerants can be taken to the Lyons Street Diversionary Centre, operated by Anglicare, which is a sobering-up facility, but they are under no obligation to stay.
Cr Bates said the problems for many of the indigenous itinerants needed to be addressed in their home communities, including improved telehealth facilities so they could be treated remotely and not need to be brought to Cairns and left stranded.
Indigenous community advocate Yodie Batzke backed Mr Bates’ call for a multi-agency approach.
She said she was constantly frustrated by “stumbling blocks” in bureaucracy which left Cape community members stuck in Cairns after coming down for health treatments or court appearances.
But, she also said, the offensive behaviour in the CBD was not justified.
“Whether they be black or white, indigenous or non-indigenous, we all have choices,” she said.
WE TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE IN THE CBD AND HOW IT APPEARS TO VISITORS. IT’S JUST AN OUTRAGEOUS SITUATION OF THEM BEING CONSTANTLY MOVED ON. WE’VE GOT TO GO DEEPER THAN THAT. CAIRNS COUNCILLOR RICHIE BATES