Darling Downs District police with support from specialist units have charged 49 people with 202 offences as part of a surge response targeting high-priority and property offenders in the South Burnett region.
Operation Martello, which ran from December 8 to 14, saw officers saturate the region's crime hotspots targeting a range of offences including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, enter premises, breach of bail, and drug and traffic offences.
The targeted operation brought together police from various units, including the State Flying Squad, tactical crime squads from all three districts in the Southern Region, officers from the Murgon and Kingaroy Criminal Investigation Branch and Child Protection Investigation Unit, Darling Downs Highway Patrol units and general duties officers from Murgon and Kingaroy.
During the 7-day operation, officers engaged in a number of proactive policing activities aimed at boosting community safety, including knife wanding, high visibility patrols and vehicle stops.
Officers executed six search warrants, conducted 23 wandings and 68 street checks and issued 17 Traffic Infringement Notices (TINs), along with 17 random drug tests (RDT's), with six people returning a positive result.
On 12 December, a 46-year-old woman was charged after allegedly testing positive to drug driving after being intercepted along the Bunya Highway at Tingoora.
She has been charged with one count of drug driving and is due to appear in the Murgon Magistrates Court on 24 February.
A 25-year-old male passenger was charged with one count of possessing dangerous drugs after officers searched the vehicle and discovered an amount of methylamphetamine.
He is due to appear in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court on 4 February.
On 13 December, a 16-year-old Cherbourg boy was arrested and charged with 17 offences, including enter dwelling and commit, enter premises, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and breach of bail offences.
Police will allege the teen was involved in the theft of three vehicles and seven burglary offences from Cherbourg, Moffatdale, and Murgon in over a 4-week period between November and December.
He is due to appear in the Kingaroy Childrens Court on 15 December.
On 14 December, it is alleged two men threatened a 37-year-old man and stole a silver Mazda 6 from an address in Acacia Ridge before fleeing the scene.
Officers tracked the car before a tyre deflation device was successfully deployed on the Daguilar Highway near Blackbutt.
After the vehicle came to a stop, two male offenders fled on foot and were arrested a short time later.
A 27-year-old Cherbourg man and a 37-year-old Woodridge man have both been charged with one count each of robbery and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
Both men are due to appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court on 15 December.
Darling Downs District Superintendent Doug McDonald said Operation Martello has helped to put a dent in criminal activity that has caused widespread harm to the community.
"Over the past week we have apprehended several of our serious repeat offenders and we are glad they are off our streets," Superintendent McDonald said.
"We understand that being a victim of crime can be a distressing experience, which is why we are committed to closing the loop - engaging with victims to ensure they feel supported and kept up to date on the progress of investigations.
"While crime rates do fluctuate, we are hopeful this latest surge will help to keep those numbers low."
Southern Region Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl said while the results are promising, police remain unrelenting in their work to prevent and disrupt crime in the region.
"This operation has demonstrated our capability as an organisation to provide a surge response to areas where it is most needed, swiftly and efficiently by providing the necessary resources to drive down crime. But let me be clear we're not done yet, so to anyone wishing to cause harm to others in our community, expect a visit from police anytime, anywhere. " Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl said.
"I want to thank the community for their continued support and assure them that we will do everything in our power to ensure they feel safe."
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
