Townsville locals plead for Annastacia Palaszczuk meeting about youth crime epidemic

Desperate Townsville locals have renewed pleas for a crackdown on juvenile offenders amid a terrifying crime wave, as residents threaten to take matters into their own hands.

Roaming youth gangs have become increasingly brazen in the far north Queensland city, with violent crimes, thefts, break-ins and acts of vandalism surging out of control.  

There are now growing fears locals will start dishing out their own form of justice as disturbing details of more incidents emerge.

Brett Geiszler was a police officer in Townsville for 14 years before he established his own mortgage brokering business in 1997.

He told Daily Mail Australia he’d never seen the youth crime as bad as it was now in Townsville, where police vehicles were rammed by stolen cars in two separate incidents in the last month.

He and other business owners are demanding Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visit the city to hear about the devastating impact and strengthen juvenile laws so repeat offenders are locked up for longer. 

‘The youth crime up here is out of control by plague proportions, which is frustrating beyond belief,’ Mr Geiszler told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘These kids have no fear and the public are fed up.

‘The police are on a continued cycle of catch and release, where the youths are let off with a slap on the wrist by the magistrate with little consequences for their actions.’

‘The government needs to recognise many of these kids aren’t wayward teens who deserve another chance to rebuild their lives, they are repeat criminals who need to face the consequences of their actions and be appropriately punished.’ 

Mr Geiszler has had two recent attempted unsuccessful break-ins on his business, where the car park has become a dumping ground for abandoned stolen vehicles.

He issued a plea for vigilantes to not take matters into their own hands, two years after a close family friend was tragically killed.

Aspiring police officer Jennifer Board, 22, was riding her motorcycle on February 5, 2021 in Townsville when a car allegedly being driven by a vigilante in pursuit of a stolen car veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with her motorcycle.

Ms Board died at the scene.

Two men charged over Ms Board’s death currently remain before the courts. 

‘I can understand their position but taking the issue into your own hands isn’t the answer to the problem,’ Mr Geiszler said.

Restaurant owner Allan Pike agreed vigilante action isn’t the solution but says the crime epidemic has pushed locals to the limit.

His business C Bar on The Strand has been targeted multiple times, including having large rock thrown through a window and tip earnings stolen.

Mr Pike also recently had his Ford Mustang and Ford Ranger stolen from his home.

The Mustang was a write-off when the vehicles were later recovered.

He says the youth crime crisis is now keeping tourists away as business owners consider closing their doors.

‘We used to get a lot of Grey Nomads to come into the restaurant during their travels but now they bypass the town,’ Mr Pike told Daily Mail Australia.

‘A lot of them have been coming up here for decades but now they don’t want to stop up here in fear of losing their cars.

‘And it’s not just me. A lot of other businesses such as accommodation and other resturants are also missing out.’

Mr Pike said people were leaving Townsville because they were sick of being targeted. 

‘Business owners have told me they’re shutting down as they’ve had enough or fear they’ll be the next to be targeted,’ he said.

‘The police do a good job up here in catching  the juveniles but then the courts let them back out and they’re committing crimes again the next day.’

Mr Pike said his frightened local community was now at breaking point.

‘People aren’t going to just sit back and take it anymore,’ he told The Project on Sunday.

‘They’re going to start dishing out their own justice.’

But he agreed vigilante action is the wrong way to go about tackling the issue.

‘It would be a recipe for disaster,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘It would cause anarchy around the town.’ 

‘But I know from talking to people, they’re sick and tired about what’s happening.’ 

Mr Pike pleaded for Ms Palaszczuk to visit Townsville and meet with impacted locals. 

‘Come up and see for yourself how bad it is,’ he said.

‘People are walking away from their businesses.’

Chaos continues to strike the region with a police officer was rushed to hospital after two police cars were rammed by three allegedly stolen vehicles on March 6.

Officers were forced to withdraw to the nearby Mundingburra Police Station for their own safety before the alleged offenders set fire to one of the stolen cars in Townsville. Two teens have since been charged.

Three weeks later on April 1, another police car was rammed by two allegedly stolen vehicles and had projectiles thrown at it.

The incident prompted an urgent radio callout for all crews not assigned or attending to jobs to return to the police station and to not ‘actively engage’ with the stolen vehicle’, 7News reported.

Locals have been sharing their concerns on the Townsville Crime Alerts and Discussions Facebook page, which has amassed more than 37,000 members.

Frustrated members have posted footage of young people who are accused of committing crime, sometimes not blurring out their faces, and calling for them to be identified.

Among the most recent incidents to be reported was the brazen theft of two bikes from a home in Kirwan in the early hours of April 3, which was captured on CCTV.

The homeowner got in his car and followed the thieves down the street and managed to get the bikes back.

Another local posted how two boys were targeted by juveniles who stole their Air Jordans, hat and sunglasses on Friday. One of the the thieves was wearing knuckle dusters.

‘I’m really upset and angry as one of these young lads is my grandson! He attends high school, plays sports and has part-time work,’ he wrote.

‘And I can’t help but wonder how many other kids are copping this, and no-one hears about it! As adults, we can post about break and enters, theft including motor vehicles etc. But the kids, they have to go out most days, and do their best to avoid those who cause all the problems!’

Last year, Townsville saw its highest crime rates in two decades, with more than 43,000 offences recorded.

A year-long police operation saw 1322 offenders charged, with close to 1000 being minors.

Sonia, who works at a Townsville convenience store, said she had been held at knifepoint by a young man who came into the shop.

‘A person approached me with a large boning knife,’ she told The Project. 

‘I thought: “I can’t believe I’m going to die at the back of this shop”.

‘I ran for my life, I left my car keys, handbag and phone and just abandoned the shop.’

Sonia, who is still off work recovering from the attack, said youth weren’t being held accountable for their actions.

‘They know they’re untouchable so they just keep doing what they’re doing,’ she said. 

Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Lawson said police were taking action on the scourge of crime gripping the Queensland town. 

‘The police can do stuff and we do do a lot of work in the background,’ he said.

When asked about images of children being posted and shared, Acting Chief Superintendent Lawson said people sharing any footage or information needed to also provide it to police to assist in investigations.

Some young people engaging in unlawful behaviour were also sharing their activities online.

Acting Chief Superintendent Lawson said this was ‘encouraging’ those who have been involved in committing offenses.

Kamara Thompson, from The Lighthouse Youth After Hours Diversionary Service, said people might not be aware of the circumstances of the lives of young people who commit crime.

‘There are a lot of underlying issues,’ she said.