Community
28 September, 2024
Young gangs terrorise
A FAMILY has fled Cairns after their teenage son was bashed and robbed while another teen was also attacked and had his mobile phone taken.
Both incidents took place on the fishing piers at the Cairns Marina within about four weeks.
The first victim, a boy aged 14, said the attack was the last straw. They had since moved from Woree to Ipswich.
“I’ve just recently moved to Ipswich to get away from all the trouble,” he said.
“Cairns has just gotten too bad to live in.”
His electric scooter was stolen after he was knocked unconscious by assailants about 8pm on Friday, August 23.
“(Police) definitely took their time,” he said.
“They didn’t seem to care that I was bleeding out of the side of my head, they just wanted me to get up and walk to the car.”
Jonny, 13, from Freshwater, said he had his phone stolen while confronted and attacked about 6.50pm on Monday, September 9.
“My friend and I were sitting on the bean bags near Mooz (Gelato and Ice Cream), when a group of five-to-six Indigenous boys approached us and demanded our phones and my electric scooter,” he said.
“They ran off with my phone, but I was able to save my scooter.
“It’s caused a large inconvenience to have my phone stolen, I was unable to contact anyone until I spent a lot of money on a new phone and reset my SIM card. It’s just money that I shouldn’t have had to spend.”
A tourist couple have also recently cut their trip to Cairns short due to violent crime.
“We were threatened and attacked by a group of young boys around the Night Markets (on September 18, about 7pm),” the male tourist said. “They kept following us, and now knew where we were staying.”
The couple, who were visiting from South Korea, said they were unimpressed with police action. “We asked a police officer nearby, but there was no solution,” he said. “We decided we could no longer stay here for our safety. I’m sorry to leave with such a bad heart. However, I look forward to visiting again soon.”
The manager of the hotel where they were staying, who does not want to be identified, said the frequency of these type of situations was deterring regular visitors to the hotel.
“Cairns is certainly losing its place as a great tourist town,” she said.
“We have people on the street asking for money, cars being stolen. We have visitors now who feel unsafe walking.”
A Ports North spokeswoman said the authority was aware of incidents on local fishing docks.
“Most residents, visitors and customers who come to the marina precinct, enjoy their time safely and without issues,” she said.
“Most of the marina areas are public spaces, and unfortunately, there are some instances of anti-social behaviour and crime.
“We continue to work closely with the police and wider community to improve public safety where we can.”
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said police were investigating all incidents.
“City Beat officers continue strategic efforts to target hotspots and support community safety,” she said.
“This includes but is not limited to regular patrols of targeted hotspots and surrounds in an attempt to detect, deter and respond to offending and anti-social behaviours. We remain committed to working with businesses and other agencies including Ports North to help find solutions to keep these people safe and make the CBD a safe place to visit.”
