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A police blitz at Mackay shopping centres uncovered 22 unlocked vehicles including one with the keys in the ignition ready to drive away.
The checks of 976 vehicles across Mount Pleasant Centre and Caneland Central took officers a few hours but one unsecure car could be a day’s pay for a criminal spotting a valuable possession on the back seat.
Caneland Police Beat Acting Senior Constable Kate Ward said public complacency was why officers were placing “Don’t gift your keys to thieves” postcards on windscreens across the state.
Constable Ward said common security failings included unlocked tradie’s toolboxes, wound down windows making it easy to jimmy open doors and the formerly trusted keys on top of the tyre.
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A Mackay man intends to go home to NSW to be near his grandparents following his two-month crime spree detailed in court.
Mitchell Turnbull’s string of charges were so extensive it took more than 30 minutes to decipher the details when he presented to Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court heard Turnbull was charged with possessing property suspected of being used in commission of a drug offence in Allenstown, Rockhampton on August 4, 2019.
He also had a knife on him, assaulted a police officer and when he was taken to the Rockhampton watch-house he then damaged a blanket, earning himself a charge of wilful damage of police property.
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Teens have been caught up in a police dragnet targeting offenders behind property and vehicle crime in the Mackay region.
Mackay Criminal Investigation Branch and Property Crime team had been investigating a number of car thefts and burglaries between Mackay and Airlie Beach.
The crackdown was in response to a spike in the number of reported offences in Mackay and towards the Airlie Beach district.
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Between stolen motorbikes, cars and even electric scooters, motors have been on the agenda for Mackay and Whitsunday region thieves.
Police are appealing for information from the public to help solve these crimes.
Fishing for a scooter
A scooter equipped for fishing was pinched from a Cannonvale property sometime between 10pm Sunday, April 4 and 8am Monday, April 5.
The black and red electric Dragon GTR b2 dual motor scooter featured a fishing-rod holder on the handlebars, a white Abu Garcia Veritas with a pro max reel, lures, tackle and a scooter bag.
The scooter was just one of several recreational items stolen from the open garage beside the home.