Home Hill Calls For Help To Fight Crime

Home Hill residents have called on the state government to fund private security patrols such is their frustration with the spiralling crime rate.

Member for Burdekin, Dale Last, met with business owners and residents earlier this week and said the fact that they felt there was no alternative but private security to keep them safe was a direct result of the current state government’s many failures.

“People are frustrated and angry due to the actions of a small group of offenders who are running riot in Home Hill,” he said.  

“Queenslanders have the right to feel safe no matter where they live and that is a right that this state government has ignored for years now.

“Between July 2022 and December last year we saw Police Officer numbers in Queensland fall by 322.  

“Requests for additional Police in Home Hill have fallen on deaf ears and it is the community that is left to pay the price.

“Community safety is a state government responsibility and, just like people throughout the Burdekin, I am sick and tired of this state government’s empty words and broken promises.”

Mr Last said that he has raised business owners and residents’ concerns with senior Police but that additional resources were needed; and needed now.

“We have the situation where a local tradesman no longer takes appointments on a Monday morning because he knows he will spend every Monday morning repairing damage to schools caused by a small group of thugs,” he said.  

“That is completely unacceptable anywhere in Queensland, let alone in a community like Home Hill.

“The current Labor government talks about a multi-disciplinary response and working with offenders.  

“Ask anyone in the Burdekin and they will tell you that it simply isn’t working.

“These offenders are effectively terrorising our community and they belong in custody.  

“We need the Police resources to ensure that offenders are apprehended and taken before a court and, if they are released and offend again, they need to be arrested again.

“It is up to the state government to ensure these offenders are held to account.  

“There needs to be consequences for action but, sadly, we are not seeing any action on youth crime from the current government.”

Mr Last posed two options to the state government.

“Either resource our Police adequately to ensure people feel safe or continue to do nothing and stand by as the anger and frustration grows,” he said.

“Repeatedly we have seen this Labor state government forced into taking action following a tragedy such as the loss of a life.  

“Our communities shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy before they can feel safe in their own homes.

“We were promised increased Police resources in response to a recent spike in crime but what we actually saw was young offenders preying on homes and businesses in the middle of a natural disaster.

“We are sick of words, and we are demanding action.  

“Responsibility for addressing this issue sits solely with the Labor state government and, if action is not taken soon, I fear that we will have yet another community dealing with a tragedy thanks to Labor’s failure to deal with youth crime.”

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