Facts show crime wave not ebbing

IT SEEMS the Labor State Government has run out of places to hide when it comes to addressing Townsville’s never- ending crime wave.

The latest Queensland Police Service crime statistics, released yesterday, show that in key offence areas, Townsville is twice as bad, per capita, than the capital Brisbane.

It will shock no one, particularly the thousands of innocent local residents whom thieves prey upon each night, that break- ins have gone through the roof in the past year.

For every 100,000 residents, 1396 break- ins happen; in Brisbane, the rate is 665 per 100,000.

How can little old Townsville’s rate of break- ins really be double that of our state’s capital, with its population density and urban sprawl?

Our community has consistently been let down by a government that is either too stubborn to admit its policies are wrong or is simply ignorant of the problems occurring in our city.

We are repeatedly told that the system works, that the way to solve the problem is just a matter of believing in a reform- based approach that seemingly turns out young juvenile offenders as quickly as our courageous police haul them in.

As Townsville district officer Chief Superintendent Kevin Gutteridge explained to reporters yesterday, the city is in the grips of a youth crime epidemic but the group of offenders responsible is small.

So what is the answer? What should be done to keep our homes safe and our cars in our garages?

It is clear that whatever the “solution” is at the moment, it’s not working. Townsville residents are tired of rising insurance premiums, scared of bumps in the night and absolutely sick of being patted on the head by our arrogant government leaders.

It will only be a matter of time before something truly tragic occurs on our streets, be it a stolen car crashing or, heaven forbid, an innocent being injured or killed defending their home.