Community & Business
27 May, 2025
Rural property owners attend crime forum
Around 40 interested rural property owners from Biddeston to Maclagan attended Oakey RSL last Thursday for a ‘Shut the Gate on Rural Crime’ Forum.
Detective Inspector Jim Lacey, Operations Manager of Rural and Stock Crime Squad (also known as 'the Stockies') was present with his team, along with Sergeant James Leahy of Oakey Police and Dave Isherwood from Toowoomba Crimestoppers.
Sergeant Leahy began with a local report, saying there had been a decrease in property crime offences over the last six months in the Oakey district.
Under-reporting of property crime is a relevant issue at present, with the local top cop citing an extreme example on the Darling Downs where $196k of stolen diesel was not reported by a property owner to police.
“Some reasons for not reporting people provide are concerns over insurance premiums and the possibility of surrendering their weapons licence,” he said.
“I’ll tell you about a case where we (Oakey Police) were checking a vehicle at the United (service station, Oakey) and there was a loaded handgun in the back seat.
“We need to know if you’ve lost a firearm.”
Detective Senior Constable Chris Hurtz of the Rural and Stock Crime Squad advised property owners to “target harden” and strengthen their property boundaries by securing fences and gates, marking property items, and keeping up-to-date records.
“Don’t advertise when you’re away on holiday (other than telling a neighbour or trusted friend) as this can make you a target,” he said.
During the meeting, police handed out “private property” signs to attendees to deter offenders.
