Townsville – A city under siege

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader, Nick Dametto.

13 July 2023

The last week in Townsville has seen back-to-back home invasions, robberies, assaults and even a homicide, leaving the State Member for Hinchinbrook and Katter’s Australian Party Deputy Leader, Nick Dametto, asking – how much worse can it get?

“The chaos that we have seen unfold across Townsville in just the last three or four days has police run off their feet and residents outraged,” said Mr Dametto.

“Every single day I am contacted by residents who are at their wits end about the lack of law and order. People are riddled with anxiety and fear about when they will either once again fall victim to crime, or when their turn is coming.

“This is Australia. This is Queensland. Why are we being expected to live with this sort of fear daily?

“I can’t bear to hear one more time from the State Labor Government about how this a ‘complex’ problem or that Queensland has the ‘toughest youth crime laws’ in the country.

“The Premier and her Ministers can repeat that mantra to the rest of Queensland as much as they like, it’s clearly the criminals who aren’t listening, particularly the youth criminals.

“They couldn’t care less, and why would they? They are seeing no impact in terms of consequences or punishment,” Mr Dametto said.

The week of crime in Townsville began with four local business owners picking up the pieces after a stolen ute was used to ram raid shopfronts leaving behind extensive damage and considerable repair bills. The occupants of the ute were unsuccessful in their attempts to gain access and steal goods from three of the four businesses with only the Mundingburra IGA being looted for some snacks following a failed attempt to access the cigarette cabinet.

As the week progressed, so did the escalation in crime:

• In Railway Estate a home invasion ended in a stabbing homicide suspected to be over a debt.
• A young mother walking with her two children was threatened with a knife and robbed of her handbag while walking in Aitkenvale at approximately 8:30am.
• A Currajong woman was wounded in a violent armed home invasion that occurred just before 7pm.
• Late in the evening, a woman at Willows was threatened by a male armed with a metal bar who robbed her before fleeing.
• Numerous other home invasions, car thefts and car jackings were reported by residents and victims across social media occurring throughout the day and night.

The Hinchinbrook MP said that the Palaszczuk Government is as much to blame as the criminals who are committing these offences.

“I am not one to advocate for violence but sometimes you wish that police were able to use a little more force on these offenders, violence and aggression seems to be the only language they understand.”

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