A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
The Palaszczuk government is serious about tackling crime and the causes of crime. Our commitment is backed up with record funding, greater resources, tougher laws and the determination of 11,800 sworn police officers to keep Queensland communities safe— and no more so than in Townsville, and that commitment is a testimony to the dedication and courage of our local members, the members for Townsville, Thuringowa and Mundingburra. There are more front-line police in Townsville today than there ever was under those opposite. I am advised by the Queensland Police Service that, as of 30 April, there were 289 officers based in the five police stations responsible for calls for service across Townsville, and they are also backed up by additional sworn officers from the Criminal Investigation Branch, the Child Protection and Investigation Unit and the intelligence and road policing units. You can see those police right across Townsville—their strength, their capability and their commitment to tackle criminal behaviour in Townsville and surrounding suburbs. The facts speak for themselves. The hard work of our police is delivering results.
The hard work of our police in Townsville needs to be acknowledged. In the six months to March this year, police under Operation Oscar Merchant made 1,449 arrests and laid 3,772 charges, predominantly for drug, traffic and property offences. We know that there is still more work to do in Townsville. That is why we have provided additional investment for a new operation—Operation Papa Advance—to target property crime offences in Townsville. This is a proactive police operation that provides rapid response and additional investigative capability in the Townsville district. Our police in Townsville continue to increase their presence through proactive policing in public areas throughout Townsville to support community safety. Coupled with the additional resources that our government has provided to support the Stronger Communities initiative— a key investment that was made following the outstanding representation by our local MPs in the Townsville area—we are seeing results in Townsville. Our government is serious about delivering safer communities throughout Queensland and the facts support that. The Palaszczuk government promised to deliver more police and more resources to keep Queenslanders safe. That is exactly what it has done. It is our government that is backing the police with the best equipment and the laws that they need to target antisocial behaviour and place people who do the wrong thing before the courts. The police are doing a fantastic job across Queensland and only Labor can be trusted to support them every step of the way.