CRIME CITY COPS FACE CASH CUTS Budgets slashed as crisis spirals
MORE than $ 550,000 has been slashed from the budgets of Townsville police stations despite figures revealing the city’s crime crisis is still spiralling out of control.
Queensland Police Service statistics show unlawful entry offences in Stuart rose 114.2 per cent in the 12 months to April 17 – 512 offences compared to 239 in the previous 12 months.
The rise in those offences in Kirwan was 48.4 per cent ( 852 offences) in the same period.
Across the Townsville police district unlawful entry increased 42.6 per cent, car theft was up 38.3 per cent and robbery was up 27.8 per cent.
Despite this, a combined $ 585,936 has been cut from the 2016- 17 budgets of the Kirwan, Magnetic Island, Mundingburra, Stuart, Townsville CBD and Deeragun police stations.
The only Townsville police station to receive an increase in funding was Rollingstone, with a rise of $ 30,366.
The budget figures were revealed in Police Minister Mark Ryan’s response to a parliamentary question on notice from the Queensland Opposition.
It comes almost a year after Kirwan Magnetic Island Mundingburra Rollingstone Stuart Townsville CBD Deeragun Opposition police spokesman Tim Mander declared Townsville the crime capital of Queensland.
“The biggest expenditure rollout always in budgets is people resources so you can only imagine if the budget has been slashed it means less police on the ground,” he said.
It comes after the Bulletin reported that police believed the release of young offenders from detention was to blame for a spike in property crime.
Mr Mander said the Stuart police station’s budget this financial year was lower than it was three years ago.
“In that particular area assaults have increased by 21.7 per cent. You have this spiralling crime rate which the public of Townsville is very well aware of and that’s been met with reduced funding,” he said.
“Crime rates across the state are up but they are well out of control in Townsville.
“Last year there were headlines saying Townsville was the crime capital of the state and it hasn’t changed.
“It just seems crazy that in one of our largest and busiest police districts many of the divisions have had their budgets reduced.”
Mr Mander said the crime rate would not improve until police were “suitably resourced and the laws are changed to make it tougher for these people who are basically snubbing their nose at police”.
“We’ve been going on about the youth justice system for some time,” he said.
“Breach of bail should be an offence – this government has now weakened that.
“We said jail shouldn’t be a last resort for repeat offenders – Labor has reversed that.”
Editorial: page 32