Community & Business
6 March, 2024
Crime impact revealed
WE may feel reasonably safe in our homes, but we don’t on the streets at night, according to the Express Yourself community survey.
The survey shows that nearly 70% felt safe in their homes, but only 12% said they felt safe walking the streets of their town at night while 58.5% did not, and 26.5% said they only felt safe in well-lit areas.
When it comes to being a victim of crime, 30% of respondents said “yes”, with break and enters by far the most common experienced by locals.
More than 200 people out of the 1045 respondents said their house had been broken into, while 61 people had been the victim of vandalism, 48 had been assaulted, and 34 had their business broken into.
Overall, 40% described crime in their area as “Bad”, 26% said “Not too bad”, 23.6% said it was “Average” and only 10% said it was not a problem.
Crime figures for the past three months show that Mareeba continues to experience far more offences than Atherton, with 106 assaults recorded during that time, compared to Atherton with just 28.
Similarly, there have been 82 unlawful entries into businesses or private residences in Mareeba and only 25 in Atherton.
Good order offences, which include crimes such as public nuisance, consuming liquor in public, and obstructing police are also much higher in Mareeba at 89 for the past quarter, while Atherton has recorded 34.
Member for Cook Cynthia Lui says her government had delivered for the Mareeba Shire in all sectors, including crime.
“We’ve deployed additional police officers to Mareeba and a new Child Youth Justice and Safety officer and Court Liaison officer,” she said.
“We’ve committed $5 million to upgrade the Mareeba PCYC and an additional $260,000 for youth support services for the Pulse Café.”
But Member for Hill Shane Knuth says more has to be done to curb youth crime.
“We’ve seen time and time again the impact of juvenile crime – businesses burnt, homes destroyed, cars stolen etc,” he said.
“We (Katter’s Australian Party) are the only party that has packaged a policy that addresses the real issues of juvenile crime - relocation sentencing.
“There has to be something wrong with the juvenile justice system if they’re committing crime to get into the detention centres, then coming out reoffending worse than before.
“Youth criminals know right from wrong and understand the current laws inside out and how they can exploit them.
“The ones who currently suffer from the current soft laws are the victims and the larger community.”
The KAP policies include the introduction of minimum mandatory sentencing, removal of detention as a last resort and the addition of Relocation Sentencing.
The only candidate standing for Cook thus far for October’s election, One Nation’s Peter Campion, has weighed into the issue.
“The first responsibility of any government is to keep the community safe, but Queensland’s crime statistics show robberies have tripled since Labor took office in 2015 and car theft has nearly doubled,” he said.
“Tragically but unsurprisingly, Labor’s policies have made you less safe.”
To what extent is crime a problem in your area?
40.1% - Bad
25.9% - Not too bad
23.6% - Average
10.4% - No problem
Do you feel safe in your home?
67.2% - Yes
32.8% - No
Do you feel safe walking along the streets at night?
58.5% - No
26.5% - Only in well-lit areas
12.6% - Yes
2.3% - Only in suburban streets
Have you been a victim of crime?
29.4% - Yes
70.6% - No
What type of crime?
Break and enter - 205 resp
Vandalism/Graffiti - 61 resp
Vehicle theft - 57 resp
Assault - 48 resp
Business broken into - 34 resp
Other - 51 resp
How would you rate the quality, range and availability of health services in your area?
38.4% - Dissatisfied
27.5% - Neutral
21.6% - Satisfied
10.4% - Extremely Dissatisfied
2.1% - Very Satisfied
What do you think the region needs most in relation to health services?
82.8% (852 resp) - More General Practitioners
77.9% (802 resp) - Local access to specialists
75.3% (775 resp) - More bulk billing services
33.5% (345 resp) - More allied health services like occupational therapy
27.4% (282 resp) - More mental health services
23% (237 resp) - More support for people with a disability
2.6% (27 resp) - More services for indigenous communities
How often do you travel to Cairns for medical reasons?
A few times a year - 439 resp
Every now and then - 225 resp
Every month - 195 resp
Rarely - 134 resp
Every week - 20 resp
Never - 16 resp
How would you rate roads maintained and controlled by Main Roads in your area (Kennedy Highway; Main St, Atherton; Byrnes Street, Mareeba)?
Average of 4.2
14.5% (149 resp) – 1
14.6% (150 resp) – 2
9.4% (97 resp) - 3
14.5% (149 resp) - 4
21.3% (219 resp) - 5
9.2% (95 resp) - 6
9.4% (97 resp) - 7
5.2% (54 resp) – 8
1.6% (16 resp) - 9
0.3% (3 resp) - 10
What are the three top issues for you at the next State election in October?
73% (751 resp) – Youth crime
54.4% (560 resp) – Condition of roads
51.5% (530 resp) - Cost of living
50.8% - Health services (523 resp)
39.9% (411 resp) – Support for regional areas (funding)
19% (196 resp) – Overall economy
11.3% (116 resp) – Environment
Has the rising cost of living affected you?
52% - Yes
23% - A little
18% - Extremely
7% - Not really
What, if anything, have you changed to cope with the rising cost of living?
48.9% (505 resp) - Changed what I buy for groceries
45.1% (466 resp) - Don't go out much anymore
43.9% (454 resp) - Travel less to save on fuel
41.3% (427 resp) - Spending less on personal items or service
37.7% (389 resp) - Buy cheaper brands
30% (310 resp) - Cut down on entertainment
25.5% (263 resp) - Cancelling subscriptions
22.1% (228 resp) - Don't turn the aircon or heater on as much
19% (196 resp) - Checking out second-hand shops for clothes, items
16.6% (171 resp) - Sold unwanted items around the home
15.6% (161 resp) - Less and cheaper holidays
8.5% (88 resp) - I've changed nothing
5.1% (53 resp) - Taken on another job
3.8% (39 resp) - Talked to my bank about my mortgage/loans
