Council will not accept the recent spate of Goondiwindi crime as normal

Goondiwindi Regional Council unequivocally demands a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to crime, following a spate of criminality in Goondiwindi.

“Unfortunately, Goondiwindi town has been subject to a series of break-ins and thefts and recently these offences have included incidents of violence,” the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM said. “Goondiwindi has been fortunate to have very low crime rates, compared to many other communities in Queensland (Qld) and New South Wales (NSW), so any spikes in criminality are acutely felt by local residents, and I refuse to accept commentary that this is just the world we live in.

“From the outset I want to say that our local police have the full support and confidence of Council. The police work hard to find and apprehend any local criminals, and are extremely successful in doing so in the vast majority of cases.  They are a credit to our region” Cr Springborg said. “But they are often let down by the courts and other agencies.

“Breaking the cycle of crime requires appropriate resources and clarity of laws, for education, child safety, police, court and justice systems, all of which are a State responsibility, and more must be done to prevent crime and hold offenders accountable,” said the Mayor.

“The police continue to report that this is a small group of youth at the heart of this, with the majority of crime overwhelmingly opportunistic. I understand that the relentlessness of their actions might make it seem like there are a large number of offenders responsible, but the advice is that we are dealing with a small, core group of re-offenders (which is why we need the courts to uphold justice and deliver adequate consequences and deterrents). Unfortunately, the special treatment accorded to juvenile offenders, is also taken advantage of and is used as a shield against personal responsibility and accountability.

“We all have a personal responsibility to keep our property locked and secure and minimise the opportunistic nature of the crime spate. It cannot however become the norm that this behaviour is tolerated, or explained away. I encourage any resident or business concerned about the security of their property to contact the local police who are available to undertake property audits and awareness programs,” said the Mayor.

In July 2021 Council established the Border Crime Prevention Committee with representatives from Qld Police, NSW Police, Moree Plains Shire Council, the Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce, Qld government department representatives, and the NSW Cross-Border Commissioner. The aim of the group is to bring together key people to work towards recommendations.  While the group has identified some immediate actions, the focus remains on long-term solutions for the town and alleviating the cross-border challenges facing local communities, businesses, organisations and authorities.  

This group has met several times over the last 9 months, and developed an action plan, with local stakeholders delivering on our responsibilities, we are awaiting State Government action to make a real difference.  The group has progressed the following priorities:

• Development of a local Action Plan for prevention of crime.
• Support for a permanent 24-hour Police Station in Goondiwindi – there is case study evidence that this works in our community.  To date, police staff resources have increased however we are still yet to be designated a permanent 24-hour Police Station.
• Additions to the Council CCTV network.  In partnership with the Qld Police Service, Council has over the last 18 months doubled the number of security cameras in public places and Council-owned facilities in the Goondiwindi region and provided easy access to police, which has already assisted police with their investigations.
• Street audits (including lighting) have been completed in the Goondiwindi Region and the Moree Plains Region to improve community safety.
• Creation of an inter-agency meeting to share information and identify targeted prevention strategies for individual repeat youth offenders.
• Correspondence to the Qld Premier supporting policy and legislative changes to enable cross border offenders to have all their related charges dealt with at the same time in a single jurisdiction.
• Qld Police Service offering local residential and commercial safety audits and awareness programs.
• Additional NSW Police resources for the Boggabilla Police Station.
• Seeking advice on whether additional locally based resources, e.g. case worker, will improve outcomes.
• Undertaking service mapping to identify what funded community services in Goondiwindi and Boggabilla have a responsibility and role in the prevention of crime.
• Exploring youth programs that have proven success with reducing crime committed by at-risk and disengaged youth.
• Advocacy for the appointment of a Cross-Border Commissioner for Queensland.

Cr Springborg has also met personally with the Deputy Premier, the Honourable Steven Miles, to discuss the establishment of a Cross Border Commissioner for Queensland, based on the success of an existing model between Victoria-New South Wales.

Cr Springborg has also written and spoken to the Honourable Minister for Police, Mark Ryan, about the communities support for a 24-hour police station and the Minister has undertaken to discuss the matter with the Police Commissioner.

“It has been upsetting to our community that this small number of juvenile offenders have continued to make individual victims, as well as ratepayers, bear the cost of their actions,” the Mayor said. “The Queensland government references that about 10% of Queensland youth offenders, commit around 45% of youth offences. The reality is that very few offenders in the Goondiwindi Region make up part of this top 10% of youth offenders.  We are not the same story as the likes of Townsville, where serious and violent juvenile crime is endemic. Our community needs solutions that relate to the relativity of crime in our area and the application of a zero tolerance approach to it.”