Victim Demands Swifter Action After Stolen Car Rampages Through Townsville for Four Days

16 September 2024

Last week, a stolen Toyota Prado terrorised local streets for almost four days before police were able to intervene and stop the vehicle by using tyre deflation devices, prompting questions from crime victims as well as political leaders.

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader and Hinchinbrook MP, Nick Dametto, expressed his outrage at the bureaucratic handcuffs that he claimed are preventing police from intercepting stolen vehicles at the earliest opportunity.

“Current QPS policy requires a risk assessment to be done before an officer can intervene and apprehend assailants in a stolen vehicle. The issue with that is, QPS officers have stated that they are at times more concerned about being subjected to an internal review of their decision made on the beat, than the risks posed by the offenders they are seeking to lock up,” Mr. Dametto said.

“Knowing this, it appears that senior officers are likely to be always erring on the side of caution when giving the orders to pursue or retreat.

“Last week while I was in Brisbane for Parliament, I was made aware of the stolen Prado that was being used to allegedly commit further crimes across the Townsville city footprint. After speaking directly with the owner of the stolen vehicle, Josh Schwarz, I decided to use my last Question Without Notice for this term to probe the Police Minister on what seems to be a no pursuit policy that has been adopted by this government.[1]

“The Police Minister’s response was deflective and disappointing. Firstly, the Minister claimed that police create their own policies, not politicians, which we all know is not the case. Secondly, the Minister revealed that police do in fact have an operational pursuit policy, but it’s only engaged after a “risk assessment” is conducted.

“I’d question the accuracy of the Police Minister’s reply because on the ground, we’re hearing directly from police that they are under strict orders to not intercept stolen vehicles if it is believed that youth offenders are behind the wheel. Their orders more often than not, are to retreat.

“With forty days to go before the State Election it is abundantly clear that this is all you’re going to get out of the current State Labor Government on crime. Their lack of willingness to change policy and legislation has painted them into a corner where no North Queenslander could possibly reward them with their vote come October.”

Josh Schwarz, the victim of the theft, shared his family’s horrifying experience which included details of how armed intruders entered the family home and came within metres of his sleeping children before stealing the family car.

Mr Schwarz said the crime had taken a massive toll on his whole family with his wife and children now all on edge.

“We’re getting a dog and upgrading our home security, but where do you draw the line? We don’t want to live in a prison. It’s not practical to lock up just because you’re mowing the lawn or kicking the footy in the backyard. It’s despicable that my family doesn’t feel safe in our own home,” Mr Schwarz said.

“The community response to my stolen car was tremendous. I was receiving constant reports and updates about sightings of the vehicle and I had people contacting me to return stolen items that had been discarded across multiple suburbs.

“I wish I could also praise the police response but unfortunately, I was left angry and frustrated by the lack of police urgency to intercept my car as soon as possible. I don’t blame our local police at all, I know from talking to them that the orders to not engage come from higher above.

“It’s ludicrous to think that in the eyes of the ‘experts’ a stolen car being left to its own devices for four days is a safer option than intercepting and disabling the vehicle as soon as possible.

“I believe that police should be commanded to engage and disable criminals and stolen vehicles at the first opportunity. We need to restore the community’s faith in our Queensland Police Service.

“It’s been a real eye-opener seeing how the community feels about this, and there’s a general sentiment that our police are handcuffed.”

Michael Pugh said that during his time campaigning across Mundingburra, he had spoken with many residents, including past and currently servicing police officers.

“I have been made aware that on a number of occasions, police are instructed to retreat back to their stations because they are unable to engage. Through no fault of their own, police feel like they are not meeting community expectations and morale is at an all time low.

“The LNP candidate for Mundingburra is a serving police officer and has been notably silent on this issue. My question to the LNP would be — what is their position is on this apparent ‘no pursuit’ policy that is preventing police from protecting the community?”

-END-

[1] Pages 2966-2967, https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/events/han/2024/2024_09_11_DAILY.pdf