Gulf crime spiralling
A PENSIONER who has had two vehicles stolen from outside his home in just three days says youth crime has spiralled out of control at Normanton.
Retired butcher Doug Kenyon says he is sick and tired of being targeted by young criminals, who he alleges have broken into his Gulf home seven times in the past three weeks, stealing several items – including two vehicles.
Mr Kenyon, 70, said his Toyota LandCruiser, which was stolen from outside his demountable early Tuesday morning, was dumped at a nearby river and left with $5000 worth of damage to its motor.
He said thieves also stole his Suzuki Jimny Sierra on Sunday, which had been driven 70km to Karumba.
Both times, keys for the vehicles were allegedly stolen from inside his home after thieves gained access through a small bathroom window.
Mr Kenyon, who was forced to close his butchery in 2012 after three decades of business due to constant thefts and vandalism of his shop, said locals at Normanton and Karumba were fed up with the crime epidemic within their remote communities.
“I would like to see these (young thieves) locked up, otherwise someone’s going to shoot them,” he said. “It’ll probably happen in Karumba, where they’re a bit more highly strung than here.”
Mr Kenyon said he had reported all the latest thefts to police, however local officers appeared to be underresourced.
“The police are doing the best they can, but there’s only so much they can do,” he said.
Mount Isa Police acting Superintendent Andrew Gillies said more officers would be sent to Normanton from today to help control an “unusual” spike in crime in the town.
“We are certainly aware there’s been an increase (in crime) and we’re dealing with that as much as we possibly can,” he said.
He said it appeared the juvenile offenders responsible for the illegal activities, all aged between 10-17 years of age, were all locals.
“Proactively, we’d like to prevent it – which is what we're doing, working with other agencies and also the community to try and solve it,” he said.