LET POLICE DO THE JOB THEY ARE TRAINED FOR

PROPERTY scourge on Townsville. But taking the law into your own hands is never the crime is the city answer.

The rise in vigilante crime, which has sparked Facebook groups and secret social media codes, is a problem for the city.

Engaging in high-speed car chases can cause irreparable damage to vehicles and properties and can have long-lasting impacts on our society.

The weekend’s incident, which involved a stolen vehicle with three occupants that ploughed into a power pole after allegedly being chased by a citizen, is evidence of this.

They are lucky it was not a fatal incident.

We need to leave crime fighting to the police.

They are trained professionals who have dedicated their lives to protecting the people who live and work in their communities.

Police officers undergo rigorous high-speed driver training. They know the dangers that are involved in a pursuit and how to mitigate them.

They are also trained on how to safely apprehend suspects.

We understand the community’s frustration and disappointment about the sheer volume of crime in our town. It was a key issue in the recent Queensland state election and we have heard your calls for more to be done.

Only last month an investigation into police data by the Townsville Bulletin revealed the region is the second worst in the state for car theft, behind Logan, while we top the state for unlawful entries.

It is not good enough but we need to direct calls through the right channels. If you see a suspicious vehicle or driver acting in an erratic fashion do not engage them.

Pull over, turn off your car engine and call the police.

Attempting to stop a crime from occurring is not justification to commit one of your own.

You are not a hero and this is not a movie. This is real life, where we have real consequences for our actions.

As Acting District Superintendent Inspector Sean Dugger told the Bulletin, it is time to “leave the policing to the police”.