Extra police for Cairns

47 officers added to beat in sudden State about-turn

A DESPERATE plea for more police on Cairns streets has been answered with 47 extra officers set to hit the beat.

The Cairns Post can exclusively reveal the State Government has committed to bolstering policing numbers in the Far North on the back of spiralling car theft and breakin figures across the city.

The announcement comes just days after senior management denied Cairns stations were feeling the strain after al- most two years of having to supply additional staff to Aurukun.

An extra eight officers continue to operate at Aurukun each day which are drawn from around the region following a riot in late 2015.

The calls for more police resourcing has been echoed by Cairns Mayor Bob Manning after car thefts jumped 30 per cent in a year.

According to the Queensland Police Service’s annual report there were 708 police working in the Far North at the end of the financial year, meaning the extra officers will be an increase of almost seven per cent.

Among the 47 officers will be two domestic violence coordinators who are expected to be based in Cairns to train fellow police and liaise with the community and government and non-government agencies.

The Far North has long recorded the worst figures for domestic violence in the state. The remaining 45 policemen are believed to be general duties officers.

The State Government has not confirmed whether some of the extra staff will be used to create a Rapid Action Patrol squad which has been a key priority of Police Commissioner Ian Stewart for months.

Both the Gold Coast and Townsville are also getting a policing boost with 44 and 53 officers respectively.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the additional resourcing for Cairns would make the city and surrounds safer for locals and tourists alike.

“Cairns is Queensland’s gateway to Asia and the rest of the world,” she said.

“The first impressions that visitors form here are important for the rest of Queensland and the rest of Australia.

“And one of the most important things for any Queens- land family is feeling safe – safe on the street, safe at work and safe in your home.”

CBD business owners have also called for more police patrols in an effort to curb ongoing issues with the antisocial behaviour of itinerants.

Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Nick Loukas called for the Return to Country initiative to be ramped up alongside a greater police presence in inner-city streets from “early evening onwards”.