A COOCHIEMUDLO Island woman has told how her family cowered for hours through the night while youths rampaged outside their home, smashing windows and vandalising property.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bottles were thrown at their car and house, shattering doors and leaving the 72-year-old with a glass shard lodged in her lip.
The woman, who moved with her husband and daughter from Hervey Bay just last month, said she had lived through 20 cyclones and four coups d’etat but none had been as scary as this.
“I have never been as scared as I was this night,” she said.
The youths ran amok on the island for hours last weekend setting alight a toilet block, pulling out signs and damaging cars.
The incident prompted Cr Lance Hewlett to reiterate his call for more policing resources as Coochiemudlo Island relies on police from Redland Bay to respond by boat.
The woman said her family were woken by noise as the youths ransacked a neighbouring house about 3am on Saturday.
The woman said the group threw crockery and bottles from that house at her car, cracking the windscreen.
“They got wine bottles out of our bin and threw them towards our balcony. One smashed the glass doors and a small glass shard went into my lip.
“One of the youths was screaming like a mad person.”
The family phoned police twice, the second time after the youths broke glass panels on the front door.
“I felt so helpless. We phoned police who said we should put off the lights, go into a room and lock ourselves in while we wait for them.”
She said they realised there were no locks on doors.
“We just turned off all the lights and sat there, trying to figure out what to do if they broke in.
“It was very frightening.”
The woman said the youths ran towards the jetty about 6am, shortly before police arrived.
She said a ranger on the island during holidays and weekends could prevent future incidents.
“If mainland kids are looking for mischief and knew that someone on the island would take them to task, I don’t think they would do it,” she said.
The woman said she did not want the youths to have a criminal record that would affect their future but wanted them to realise how frightening their behaviour was.
“I would like them to apologise for what they did, pay financial restitution especially for the damage to the neighbour’s house and do some community service on the island,” she said.
A spokesperson for Police Minister Mark Ryan said it was the role of the police commissioner, not the minister, to comment on resources.
A Queensland Police spokesperson said there were sufficient staff and resources to deliver professional policing services to bayside residents and visitors.
“There are QPS establishments at Cleveland, Capalaba, Wynnum, Dunwich, Macleay Island and Russell Island in Brisbane’s bayside and Police Beats at Point Lookout, Capalaba shopfront, Tingalpa and Hemmant.
“QPS regularly reviews population growth, crime trends and service delivery requirements to ensure a fair and equitable policing service is provided throughout the state.”
