CLEAN UP YOUR ACT
Traders demand action on CBD vagrants
TOWNSVILLE police will step up patrols in the inner city in response to traders’ complaints that vagrants use the area as a toilet.
Northern Region Acting Assist- ant Commissioner Paul Taylor said police would be increasing their presence in the central business district to address the problem.
“We will review how we police the CBD,” he said. “We have to make sure we are meeting the expectations of the community who visit the CBD, who work in the CBD and who invest in the CBD.”
In an email obtained by the Bulletin, Lancini Property and Development managing director Laurence Lancini outlined to Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill some of the problems CBD businesses faced. The email said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander itinerants were regularly using City Arcade, which was built by Lancini Property, as a personal bathroom, were sleeping and drinking in toilets and asking arcade visitors for money.
TOWNSVILLE police will step up foot patrols in the inner city in response to city traders’ complaints that vagrants are using the area as “personal bathrooms”.
Northern Region Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor yesterday said police would be increasing their presence in the central business district to address the problem.
“We will review how we police the CBD,” he said.
“We have to make sure we are meeting the expectations of the community who visit the CBD, who work in the CBD and who invest in the CBD.
“There is no doubt that policing is a vital component of making sure that people feel safe and secure when moving around the area.”
Mr Taylor said police would continue to work with government agencies tasked with helping to address the city’s homelessness issue.
In an email obtained by the Bulletin, Lancini Property and Development managing director Laurence Lancini outlined to Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill some of the problems CBD businesses faced in dealing with the city’s itinerants.
Mr Lancini’s email said homeless and ATSI groups were using the City Arcade, which Lancini Property developed, as a personal bathroom, were sleeping and drinking in toilets, and asking arcade visitors for money.
The email also said homeless and ATSI groups were also defecating and vomiting on Flinders St and eating from bins in Sturt St.
In the email, Mr Lancini told Cr Hill “please don’t ignore this matter” and said the issue was a serious hindrance to the city going forward.
“It’s extremely disappointing when you spend millions of dollars trying to stimulate this city and you have the vagrancy and filth problems we are currently encountering,” he said.
“This problem is getting worse and if something isn’t done quickly we will drive the business we have out of the city. I own retail centres all over Queensland but none with issues like this.”
Cr Hill said the council took the issue “very seriously”.
“The council met with the Police Commissioner on February 6,” she said. “We were not happy with the police response in the CBD. Police need to increase its patrols. We don’t want a 9am to 5pm response.
“There are Police Beats in shopping centres to ensure shoppers feel
safe but that doesn’t happen in our Central Business District.”
Cr Hill said the State and Federal governments needed to review and better monitor their funding of agencies and organisations tasked with addressing the issue.
“If the agencies and organisations are not doing the job to address the issue of homelessness and itinerants causing problems, they need to be held accountable,” she said. “The council spends more than $ 2 million a year on CCTV and security patrols.”
Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the three levels of government – local, state and federal – had a role to play to address and reverse the homelessness problem in the city.
Mr Stewart said the State Government monitored the agencies and organisations funded to address the homelessness issue.
“If an organisation or agency is not meeting its target, then funding will be reduced,” he said.
“When it comes to taxpayers’ money, we make sure groups and organisations are providing the service we are paying them to provide.”