Toowoomba Community Safety Forum

Darling Downs Police have received an excess of 600 SLIDO questions before, during and after the Toowoomba Community Safety Forum held on February 15.

The received questions have been reviewed and sent to units within the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and other government agencies.

Responses to these questions will be provided in a staggered approach via the Darling Downs myPolice blog.

Please see the initial responses to the community questions, below.

When will the video from tonight be made available for viewing?

The livestream link which can be accessed via the Queensland Police livestream channel anytime: https://livestream.com/queenslandpolice/events/10759932/videos/235038482

Will police show transparency with the community in relation to stolen car lists? And, will police be more proactive in stopping stolen cars before perpetrators kill?

Darling Downs District Intelligence were providing Vehicle of Interest lists to service stations twice daily.

The list is a point in time document therefore, QPS can check whether a vehicle is stolen at any time however, the public cannot.

What training is being given to police to show empathy towards victims and listening instead of being misogynistic and victim blaming when calling for help?

Prior to and since the Domestic Family Violence Commission of Inquiry, further training is provided to recruits and First Year Constables in addition to in service training (Operational Skills and Tactics, Holistic Approach to Domestic Family Violence, online training products and others).

Training is provided through the Leadership Centre to learn from and to adopt a victim centric approach to dealing with vulnerable people, improving trust and on how police conduct their jobs at all levels.

Other continued work in this area includes cultural training to further improve community safety and building trust internally and externally.

Whose life were the two QPS officers saving when they conducted radar duties at 5am on March 4 at Ruthven Street? Is this a good use of police resources?

Last year, 59 lives were lost on Southern Region roads which was the highest total in a decade.

In recent years, analysis of fatal crashes has identified that one in three lives lost are a result of speeding.

This analysis also identified that 90 per cent of lives lost were a result of fatal five factors.

Ensuring the safety of all road users is a major priority of the QPS.

Why is a set of stolen car keys classified as "lost property"? Is this so QPS can close the case to keep their KPIs looking good?

Stolen car keys are classified as stolen property, not lost property.

When you can clearly identify the person offending on home security cameras, can police investigate or do we have to wait for offenders to be "successful"?

CCTV or any electronic footage can be very beneficial for identification to assist police.

If you suspect an offence is occurring or about to occur, please call 000.

Establish Police Crime Management units in every suburb with activity reporting and surveillance patrols.

Current QPS strategies in the Darling Downs District include high visibility police presence within youth hotpot crime locations, targeting of property offenders, and focused bail and curfew compliance checks, amongst other strategies to target those locations where crime occurs.

Are there any plans for more police presence in shopping centres without a Police Beat?

The QPS are engaged with Shopping Centre Management and other stakeholders advising as to what strategies they can utilise to increase security and personal safety at Shopping Centres within Darling Downs District.

QPS employ multiple strategies including deploying the Mobile Police Beat which can be tasked to crime hot spots and areas of concern.

We constantly re-assess where those resources are placed based on crime trends and intelligence, and recognise the concerns which have been raised.

The Toowoomba CBD needs a more visual police presence. Why aren't there more foot patrols in the CBD especially around pubs and clubs at night?

Toowoomba police provide a dedicated response to the Toowoomba CBD and Safe Night precinct, this includes foot patrols, mobile response, licenced venue walk-throughs and early intervention strategies.

CCTV is monitored in conjunction with Toowoomba Regional Council and supports QPS operational strategies.

I've also lived in Brisbane where there are more visible police on the ground. In the time I've lived here, I've never seen a patrol.

High visibility policing is a priority for Darling Downs District police, an example of this was the recent property operation, Uniform Theta.

From December 19 2022 to February 12, Darling Downs District police conducted 3,837 proactive activities in the community and street checked 1,862 persons.

POLAIR needs to live in Toowoomba.

The QPS delivers and maintains an array of aviation capabilities across the State to ensure the QPS delivers airborne law enforcement, search and rescue, disaster and emergency management, and tactical response.

POLAIR provides the QPS with an aerial observation platform for South East Queensland via two helicopters, one based in Brisbane and the second on the Gold Coast.

POLAIR is available for tasking every day of the week however, each aircraft with flight crew is only available on-duty at high readiness standby for a specified number of hours each week.

POLAIR helicopters are currently contracted for 1,000 flight hours for each aircraft per year.

POLAIR regularly receives taskings for the Toowoomba area and with the flight time from Brisbane to Toowoomba being approximately 25 minutes, POLAIR are able to provide assistance to frontline officers in Toowoomba in a timely manner.

The QPS conducted a strategic review of POLAIR operations and determined base locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast were the most appropriate to provide aerial coverage across the South East corner of the state.

Put Police Beats back into shopping complexes.

We are engaged with Shopping Centre Management and other stakeholders as to what strategies will increase security and personal safety issues at Shopping Centres within Darling Downs District.

We have a number of tools at our disposal including the Mobile Police Beat which can be tasked to crime hot spots and areas of concern, and constantly re-assess where those resources are placed, based on crime trends and intelligence, and recognise the concerns which have been raised.

We had a repeat juvenile car thief residing in our street. Why weren't police more proactive in keeping the pressure on this known thief and their family?

Current QPS strategies in the Darling Downs District include high visibility police presence within youth hotspot crime locations, targeting of property offenders, focussed bail and curfew compliance checks, amongst other strategies to target those locations where crime occurs.

Create funding for more police and more intakes. Seems criminals walk free no consequences.

Police Recruiting have increased the numbers involved in each intake at Oxley to 144 and also the Townsville Academy to 63.

It is also important the right people are recruited and there is much work going on at a local level, state and nationally in order to attract and recruit the right people.

How are you going to get more people to become police when intakes are being cancelled?

Police Recruiting with the District Recruiting Officers have attended over 300 events in 2022 and even more in 2023.

These officers are in every district but it is everyone's responsibility if they come across someone they know or come across who would make a great police officer to encourage them to apply.

The QPS looks at recruitment pathways including those who are already in the QPS (staff members, PSO's etc) to apply and we will pay for the costs associated with this.

We are working closely with universities, TAFE, the ADF, school leavers and others to promote policing as a career.

We also have recruitment campaigns interstate and have just started recruiting internationally persons who are current police officers, to get their skills and knowledge in the QPS as a frontline police officer.

There are also recruitment campaigns running on social media, QPS Open Days, sponsorship with NRL to increase the number of recruit applicants and recruits into the academies and then onto the frontline.

What is the cost associated with POLAIR deployment? Frustrating for QPS to catch offenders and have them released in a day or two, is this a good use of resources?

POLAIR helicopters, pilots, Gold Coast facility, maintenance, support and air operations management services are provided through a fully outsourced supply agreement with Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ).

Under current contractual service arrangements, the QPS supplies the Tactical Flight Officers (TFOs) for duty as part of the helicopter flight crew.

TFOs are sworn police officers and are primarily responsible for command and control of the police mission and assisting the SLSQ pilot with flight duties to ensure the safe operation and navigation of the aircraft.

Due to this contractual arrangement, the QPS is unable to provide details of the costs associated with a POLAIR deployment as financial elements of the contract are commercial-in-confidence.

Is the Murri Court operating in Toowoomba? If not, why? If it is, how many offenders are going through and what is the rate of re-offending?

Yes, Murri Court is operating in Toowoomba.

On average there are approximately 22-25 (capacity) clients per sitting and if offenders reoffender, they can re-enter the Murri Court program.

Anecdotally, the re-offending rate for Murri Court Toowoomba clients could be as low as 10%.

What programs are offered through Murri Court process?

The following programs are offered but not limited to:

• Stronger Fathers;

• Deadly Brothers (Cultural and Indigenous Support and education for men);

• Deadly Sisters (Cultural and Indigenous Support and education for women);

• Catholic Care (Emotional Counselling etc);

• Lives Lived Well (Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselling); and

• Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement (GP, Dental, Family and Child Wellbeing etc).

Police traffic patrols appear very limited these days in Toowoomba. Car thieves can't be spotted. Is the lack of patrols a budget and human resource problem?

Current QPS strategies in the Darling Downs District include high visibility police presence within youth hotspot crime locations, targeting of property offenders, focussed bail and curfew compliance checks, amongst other strategies to target those locations where crime occurs.

I am absolutely appalled at the high number of First Nation teens who are committing these crimes. What action will you take to work with Indigenous elders?

Youth offenders come from a range of backgrounds, and many have complex personal circumstances.

We work with numerous government and non-government agencies and members of the community to work through the complex issues of youth offending.

Who is a victim of crime supposed to call? An online submission via Policelink is both impractical and inappropriate following a crime. Victims need real support.

If a crime is happening now, members of the public should call 000, otherwise, initial reports of crime are via Policelink.

The Darling Downs District Crime prevention unit reviews all reported break and enter and unlawful use of motor vehicle offences and attempts to follow up with the victims of these offences by attending the victim's address or delivering prevention information and contact information to the victim's address.

The District Crime Prevention Unit is able to assist with advice and referral for victims of crime.

It was said that VIPs were visiting victims since October 2022. What about all the victims prior to that time? Don't they deserve support too?

Prior to October 2022, Darling Downs District Crime Prevention was providing victim support by mailing prevention and personal safety information to victims of property related crime.

Letterbox drops and pop up displays were also used in areas where recent crimes had occurred.

The change in crime prevention strategy since October 2022 was done to provide a more direct and personalised follow up with victims.

Staff from the Crime Prevention Unit are always willing to assist victims of crime with support and advice.

What will you do to support victims of crime in Toowoomba?

The Darling Downs District Crime prevention unit reviews all reported break and enter and unlawful use of motor vehicle offences and attempts to follow up with the victims of these offences by attending the victims address or delivering prevention information and contact information to the victim's address.

The District Crime Prevention Unit is able to assist with advice and referral for victims of crime.