Melbourne cop couple vows never to return after car is stolen in Townsville, Queensland
Two retiring police officers have vowed “never” to revisit a crime-ridden Queensland town after their trip there turned into a nightmare.
The Melbourne couple were en route to Cape York in far north Queensland to celebrate their retirement when they stopped for the night in Townsville, staying at Discovery Park in nearby Wulguru.
But the trip took a turn for the worse when their beloved 4WD was stolen by a group of unruly youths as they slept.
The pair were fast asleep in their caravan at around 4am on Sunday when the kids broke in and stole their Haval H9 Ultra Wagon.
The car is yet to be recovered by police, despite the owners claiming they’ve spotted it hooning past the caravan park several times.
They even claim the alleged thieves have taunted them on social media, sharing photos of themselves with the vehicle.
“My big Haval,” one of the boys captioned the photo.
“Not bad watcha (sic) reckon.”
The couple was told by police their Haval was one of 15 cars stolen that day amid escalating youth crime in the regional town.
“It’s a massive, massive issue up here, and I think the police are more frustrated than what we are because they’re doing all they can,” the husband, who asked not to be named, told the Townsville Bulletin.
“They’re overwhelmed and under resourced.
“They can’t chase the kids because the pursuit policy doesn’t allow them to do very much, and the judiciary system doesn’t deal with these kids adequately. It’s frustrating.
“It’s time that we, not just as individual states but as a nation, do something about youth crime.”
Unable to find a hire car to continue their trip, the couple is now waiting for a friend to make the 2500km drive from Melbourne to take them and their caravan home.
What was meant to be a three-and-a-half month cross-country road trip has ended just six weeks in.
The husband said youth crime had tarnished his perception of Townsville and he wasn’t likely to return.
“It’s sad because we saw the city … Townsville’s such a beautiful place, but the crime ruins it,” he said.
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“We knew crime was bad here, but we never thought this would happen.
“They broke into our caravan as we slept. It’s such a violation.”
Investigations into the matter are ongoing. Police said they were doing everything they could to intercept the vehicle safely.
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