Crime a key concern

TACKLING crime is shaping up as a deciding factor in this year’s state election, with soaring low-level offences like burglary and car thefts convincing Queenslanders the issue is out of control.

The past five years has seen legislation brought in forcing killers to reveal the location of their victims’ bodies and sentencing surrounding child homicide has been strengthened.

Frontline officers have been given body worn cameras, more police are on the beat and the ALP introduced its own less extreme antibikie laws.

Queensland Police Service figures show an increase of 9630 offences per 100,000 people in 2015 to 10,645 in 2019, with crime levels mostly remaining steady with the exception of low-level offences.

Bond University professor and former detective Terry Goldsworthy said there was an increase in reported crime for the categories of property and persons, but police enforcement captured by “other crimes” had remained nant.

“Reported crime that mums and dads report is going up,” Dr Goldsworthy said.

“Our crime rate is going up yet our rate of prisoners has gone up astronomically, it’s strange.

“The big focus for police should be on property for break-ins and unlawful use stag(stolen cars).” QPS statistics show stolen car offences increased from 195 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 311 in 2019.

Reported incidents of unlawful entry increased from 678 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 822 in 2019.

When asked who was ultimately responsible for policing issues Dr Goldsworthy said: “The Government is responsible for setting the broad policy direction and the commissioner is responsible for executing that.”

Dr Goldsworthy questioned whether legislative changes had been no more than “window dressing”.

Youth justice issues have plagued the Palaszczuk Government and police, which have struggled to deal with problem kid crims.

Car theft from

“sneak breaks” has been irritating for police who arrest children only to see them released on bail.

This week Commissioner Katarina Carroll announced a major structural shake-up to the service, appointing Paul Taylor as a deputy commissioner for regional Queensland, based in Townsville, in a move aimed to help ease concerns.