October 3, 2024
Cherbourg Council has challenged the Queensland Police Service to think differently about how policing is delivered in Cherbourg.
Senior police – including Acting Commissioner Katherine Innes and Acting Superintendent Scott Stahlhut – were invited to hear Council’s concerns at a special meeting with emergency service representatives on Wednesday morning.
Acting Commissioner Peta Thompson, from the Queensland Ambulance, also attended.
Mayor Bruce Simpson and councillors had “candid” discussions.
The Mayor emphasised the situation in Cherbourg was different from other First Nations communities such as Palm Island or Woorabinda where the Protective Services Group First Nations Project was operating.
In these communities, local community members have been employed by the QPS as Senior Protective Services Officers.
Mayor Simpson said these communities were “self-contained” with borders that acted as natural barriers which helped to limit the influx of external crime.
In contrast, Cherbourg faced challenges from crime travelling to the community from Brisbane, Toowoomba, Rockhampton and other surrounding areas.
Mayor Simpson asked the police to re-frame the conversation around law enforcement in Cherbourg to reflect these realities, and take Council’s concerns about the need for more resources to government.
“We need more police, more PLOs (Police Liaison Officers),” he said.
Cr Tom Langton said there needed to be more community engagement, eg. police patrolling the streets, stopping and talking to people.
Cherbourg Council recognised that solving crime issues in the community required strong partnerships between the police, other emergency services, schools and the community.
Mayor Simpson said Council wanted to explore community-led solutions, such as expanding the roles of PLOs and revisiting strategies that had worked in the past, such as community policing.
