Gold Coast 'the crime capital of Australia

Criminologists say organised crime and a rampant drug trade are behind a spate of shootings and serious violent crimes on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The shooting death of a man on the tourist hotspot's busy Hooker Boulevard yesterday was the latest incident, and it came as no surprise to some people.
The man's body was found lying on the road. He had been shot at least once in the back, in the third fatal shooting on the Gold Coast in less than two months.
Ian Leavers, the president of the Queensland Police Union, says violence is escalating in the tourist hotspot.
"The Gold Coast has cemented itself as the crime capital of Australia," he said.
"We are starting to see organised crime spill out on to the streets and it is a very real risk where innocent people could be killed or hurt."
Last month Senior Constable Damian Leeding died after being shot in the face during an armed robbery on the Gold Coast.
That incident was another in what criminologist Paul Wilson is calling an upsurge in violent crime.
"We've had, since January, nearly 60 armed robberies and over the last three months we've had five shootings, so that is far away from just simply being a statistical blip," Professor Paul Wilson said.
He said the spike in shootings and armed robberies could be a result of tough economic times or an influx of illegal guns.
But he said drug dealers and drug gangs were more likely to be the root of the problem.
He said there was no indication that sophisticated crime syndicates like those in Melbourne had formed on the Gold Coast, but said the region did have its own brand of organised crime.
"What I think we have on the Gold Coast are small groups of people who are organising drugs in nightclubs and licensed premises and elsewhere," he said.
"These are not necessarily sophisticated gangs but they are people who are peddling drugs. I think that's more likely."
Mr Leavers says officers on the Gold Coast are frustrated by the violence, but they are too short-staffed to fight back.
"They are simply too busy responding to reported crime. They know there is a lot of organised crime, but they cannot even attempt to investigate because they are too busy just attending to the duties they currently have," he said.
Queensland Police Minister Neil Roberts is defending police staffing levels.
He says a specialist serious and violent crime taskforce has been established and the Gold Coast's police force is bigger than it used to be.
"They're taking the issue very seriously. I get regularly briefed on the issue and I'm confident that the commissioner and his senior officers are aware of the concerns on the Gold Coast and are taking appropriate steps to address those concerns," he said.
Professor Wilson says there is no silver bullet to stop the violent crime but the next few months will be a strong indicator about how serious the problem is.
"It's a worrying spike and if it goes on for another three months then I think we would be very concerned," he said.
"I would doubt that the number of shootings would increase but if it does then we really do have a serious crime problem."

 

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