Desperate locals in crime-plagued rural town call on the state to intervene to stop rampaging youths
- Fed up locals in Mount Isa, QLD, have called on the state government to step in
- Six teenagers were arrested and charged over an alleged crime spree last week
- In just 12 hours, more than 10 cars were broken into and several were stolen
- Local politicians want the state government to allocate more police to the town
- Teenagers asked a woman to hand over her keys before taking off with her car
Fed up locals from Mount Isa in regional Queensland have called on the state government to step in as out-of-control youths wreak havoc on their small mining town.
In the space of just 12 hours, more than 10 vehicles were broken into and an elderly couple had two of their cars stolen.
The couple, who asked to remain anonymous, were woken up at midnight last Thursday to a call from police saying their stolen car was seen being driven around town.
The assailants had rammed the couple’s first car through their front gates; ripping them out in the process, before driving off with their second car.
As a result of the crime spree, the couple were left fearing for their safety and unable to fall asleep at night.
In the space of just 12 hours last week, more than 10 vehicles were broken into and an elderly couple had two of their cars stolen in Mount Isa (pictured), in Queensland’s north-west
Mount Isa’s residents and local politicians are calling on the Queensland government to intervene
Police arrested six teenagers, aged 13 to 16, and charged then with 61 offences including burglary.
Mount Isa Acting Inspector Neil King said locals locking their car doors isn’t enough to prevent them from being stolen.
Insp King said in all circumstances the cars are locked and secured, but thugs still smash their windows.
‘In one particular situation, a lady was approached by the juveniles and ordered to hand over her car keys, and subsequently that vehicle was also stolen,’ he said.
Mount Isa’s mayor Joyce McCulloch said simply providing more funding for youth services and social issues wouldn’t solve the problem.
Mount Isa’s mayor said it’s the Queensland government’s responsibility to curb crime in the mining town, which is home to just over 18,000 residents
Local politicians fear raising the issue in parliament would be a double-edged sword and could jeopardise tourism in Mount Isa
She said it’s the Queensland government’s responsibility to curb crime in the town, which is home to just over 18,000 residents.
‘There seems to be a lot of blame going around in the community. They cannot blame police. They cannot blame local government. We’ve got no power over crime,’ she said.
Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said raising the issue in parliament would be a double-edged sword as he doesn’t want to jeopardise tourism in Mount Isa.
‘I’m trying to convince families to live here in Mount Isa, but I don’t have a great appetite to be showcasing this as an issue in Parliament and in the media.’
Mr Katter claims crime in the town is only getting worse.
He even questioned Police Minister Mark Ryan over his decision to assign more officers to Townsville and Cairns rather than bolstering police numbers in Mount Isa.
But Mr Ryan argued Mount Isa received their fair share of police after 14 additional officers were sent to the town.
Mount Isa’s priest Father Mick Lowcock accused community leaders of passing the buck and said the whole community needs to come together to combat crime.
‘They [agencies and leaders] need to be calling people together and saying, ‘first of all, what is the issue, and how can we work on it’, instead of buck-passing.’
Police Minister Mark Ryan (pictured) said Mount Isa received their fair share of police after 14 additional officers were sent to the town