December 9, 2025
A week-long special police operation – dubbed “Operation Martello” – launched by police on Monday to counter a spike of crime in the Murgon and Cherbourg areas has already resulted in five arrests.
“As early as this morning we were able to detain five offenders for unlawful use,” Darling Downs District Officer Superintendent Doug McDonald told reporters in Toowoomba on Tuesday (audio file, below).
And he said residents could expect to see more police out and about in the region.
They will be conducting patrols, performing vehicle stops and knife wanding operations, doing bail compliance checks as well as talking to residents and local business owners.
The special operation is due to run from December 8-14 but Supt McDonald said extra police resources had also been allocated for the South Burnett across the Christmas break and into the New Year.
Operation Martello will include police from all three Southern Region police districts, ie. Darling Downs, Ipswich and South West; as well as the State Flying Squad, the Darling Downs Tactical Crime Squad, Murgon and Kingaroy detectives, the Child Protection Investigation Unit and Darling Downs Highway Patrol units.
Supt McDonald said he understood the recent offending, which included juvenile offenders carrying “bladed weapons”, was confronting.
He said the latest “surge” by police, was on top of previous operations run this year in the South Burnett.
“In 2025, we have deployed additional police to this area on nine separate occasions under Operation Lion Rock, and that has been extremely successful in preventing a number of crimes,” Supt McDonald said.
Supt McDonald said that since July, police have arrested 86 people in the South Burnett on 480 charges.
He linked the recent spike in crime to the school holidays, saying it was important that “partner agencies” in the area were involved in preventing children getting into the justice system in the first place.
It was a sad fact that some of the people who were committing these recent offences were “new” to the justice system, he said.
Police knew who the serious repeat offenders were, and could quickly identify them and arrest them; but it was challenging when a new, young cohort was beginning to offend, influenced by older siblings or family members.
“It’s a bigger issue than we can just deal with as police. It’s about everyone, including the community, our partner agencies, our non-government organisations that need to be really active in this space to prevent this really troubling issue for us of young people entering the justice system,” Supt McDonald said.
Southern Region Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl said Operation Martello would also ensure victims of crime felt supported.
“We are not only focusing on enforcement but also engagement – supporting victims of crime and keeping them informed throughout the investigative process,” Asst Commissioner Vanderbyl said.
“Our priority is detecting, deterring and disrupting crime across the district. We are also focused on preventing crime before it happens and to make sure the South Burnett remains a safe place for residents and visitors.
“We also understand that being a victim of crime can be a distressing experience, which is why we are committed to closing the loop – engaging with victims to ensure they feel supported and kept up to date on the progress of investigations.”
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Member for Nanango, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said she was continuing to keep the Premier, the Police Minister and the Youth Justice Minister closely updated on the crime situation in Murgon and Cherbourg.
“This morning in Parliament, we had another meeting to discuss the situation and the extra resources that are being deployed to the area,” Mrs Frecklington posted on social media.
“The police flying squad has been deployed, and accompanying youth justice wrap-around services are working to tackle crime head-on.
“We are acting decisively to support local police and restore safety to our community.”
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This is all good and well, but it is action after the fact. There needs to be policing and patrols all the time, not just after there has been a crime wave.
Get on the front foot and deal with it before it is a serious problem instead of trying to mop up the aftermath.