By Jim O’Toole
- Premier Palaszczuk’s UN ‘Convention on Rights of the Child’ policy reaps carnage in Townsville by mainly indigenous offenders
- Five cop cars in Townsville taken out at weekend, rammed by underage drivers, police injured
- Groups of black kids threatened MacDonalds customers with knives
- 79 vehicles stolen in a week
- Courts and police powerless to take these offenders off the streets
- Woman threatened with a gun
- Overawed residents predict armed offenders could face retaliation and get shot by a victim
Specialist police have flown into Townsville to regain control on the streets as the North Queensland community grapples with a week-long crime spree of car thefts, ram raids and armed offenders making threats.
Seventy-nine vehicles have been stolen in the past seven days, resulting in more than 150 offences being committed, mostly by teenagers.
The stolen cars were used in ram raids on bottle shops, at half a dozen businesses and five police cars were rammed in deliberate attacks.
Officers escaped serious injury.
The Queensland government helicopter was deployed early on Saturday morning to monitor the stolen vehicles while police used the dog squad to track offenders.
A continuous wave of weekend youth crime caused chaos for Townsville police after cars were stolen, a motorist rammed, vehicle set on fire and kids threatening people with knives. Further drama began on Saturday afternoon when a Holden Colorado was stolen from the driveway of a Kirwan house while the owner was cleaning it.
Shane Gregory took a break from cleaning his dual cab ute (above) to grab another beer, but his car was gone when he returned.
“(I) went inside to get another beer out of the fridge and someone has run across from the easement nearby and taken it,” Mr Gregory wrote in a social media post.
The car was found burnt out on Latvian Court at Kelso about 8.40am on Sunday, bearing stolen plates.
On Saturday night, police were called to McDonald’s North Ward where a group of juveniles were threatening customers with knives.
A police spokeswoman said a 13-year-old boy had been charged.
“It is alleged that at approximately 10pm the boy attended the drive through area while armed with a knife and began causing a disturbance, causing staff members to feel threatened, before leaving the scene,” she said.
“Police attended and patrolled the area, locating and arresting the 13-year-old at The Strand a short time later.”
He will face Townsville Children’s Court at a later date.
Hours later, a stolen car rammed another motorist on Ingham Rd near Garbutt.
The spokeswoman said a Mazda was waiting at an intersection when hit from behind.
“Initial investigations indicate a Mazda was stationary at an intersection when a dark coloured utility has crashed into the vehicle from behind, before leaving the scene.”
Police are investigating and urge anyone with dashcam to contact them
The carnage continued on Sunday morning when Total Tools at Domain Central was broken into at 3am.
The spokeswoman said this incident was also linked to a suspected stolen car.
“Initial investigations indicate two people have smashed a glass door and taken a quantity of goods from the store, before leaving in a vehicle that is believed to be stolen.”
About 8am on Sunday, a stolen car was also set on fire at Kelso.
Queensland’s police union boss Ian Leavers has called for the full force of the law to be brought down on the youths who used a stolen Isuzu wagon to ram police (above) and injure two officers during the Townsville juvenile rampage at the weekend.
Two male officers were taken to Townsville University Hospital with injuries to their head and hand after an unmarked police vehicle they were in was rammed by a stolen car on Fulham Rd, Heatley on Saturday night.
“This incident could have resulted in very serious injuries to two police,’ Mr Leavers said.
“The safety systems built into the car helped to protect them but I would like to see the most serious charges possible against the offenders when they are arrested.
“I’ve spoken with police involved and they are feeling shocked and disturbed about what occurred.
“This behaviour is not only reckless and dangerous but the families of these offenders should be ashamed.
“What sort of family values do they have to attack police who are trying to serve and protect the community.’
The stolen vehicle involved in the incident — a white Isuzu station wagon — was taken during a burglary at Lynd St, Mundingburra about 9.45pm on Friday.
A group of four youths abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot after ramming police in Heatley.
It comes after a similar incident where a police van was significantly damaged after being rammed by youths in a stolen Toyota LandCruiser during a chase at Aitkenvale on August 6.
District Chief Superintendent Chris Hodgeman said a small group of recidivist offenders had ramped up their activity across Townsville.
“We’ve taken some really high-level young people off the street over the weekend,” he said.
“There has been a group of about five to seven kids in one car that caused a lot of carnage on our roads and in our businesses.”
Chief Superintendent Hodgeman said it was concerning that young offenders were increasingly carrying weapons.
On Saturday night a woman was allegedly threatened with a suspected firearm.
“I just can’t believe that level of offending some of these kids are going to,” Chief Superintendent Hodgeman said.
“It seems to be they’re mimicking things they see on social media.”
Credits: ABC and Townsville Bulletin