Police have charged 39 people and seized five weapons in a South-East safety crackdown during a joint ‘Rail Day of Action’.
Police from Moreton, Ipswich, Brisbane North and South, Centenary, Logan and the Gold Coast joined Queensland Rail in saturating railway hubs on Thursday February 8, in a high-visibility policing effort to curb anti-social and criminal behaviour and boost community and commuter safety.
The targeted joint operation deployed assets such as Railway Squad, trail bike patrols, mounted unit, dog squad, crime prevention officers, road policing unit and uniformed police as well as Translink senior network officers and Queensland Rail Authorised Officers in a coordinated approach to prevent and deter crime on the high-traffic rail network.
Officers apprehended 35 adults and four young people on 76 charges in relation to possessing a knife in a public place, property crime, drug offences and breaches of bail.
A 19-year-old Mt Gravatt East man was allegedly located with a knife at a South Bank Railway station. He was charged with one count of possession of knife in a public place and is due before Brisbane Magistrates Court on February 27.
A 31-year-old Goodna man was charged with possession of a knife in a public place at a Bowen Hills Railway station. He is due before Brisbane Magistrates Court on February 29.
A 43-year-old Eagleby man was charged with several drugs offences, after police allegedly located him in possession of methamphetamine, cannabis and drug utensils at a Beenleigh Railway station. He is due before Beenleigh Magistrates Court on March 4.
Motorists were also intercepted in the vicinity of rail stations with 832 roadside breath tests and 11 roadside drug tests conducted, resulting in one drink driver being located and charged.
Police also issued 37 traffic infringements, 62 railway penalty infringements and conducted 494 street checks as part of the one-day blitz.
Officers engaged with more than 1300 people during the Day of Action, handing out 75 anti-theft screws for number plates and sharing crime prevention advice.
Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said police work closely with partner agencies like Queensland Rail to prevent and disrupt offending to protect the public.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe, especially when commuting to work or travelling home along our rail networks.
“Our Railway Squad do a great job every day in keeping commuters and Queensland Rail staff safe, and we have bolstered those efforts through additional on-board patrols and train sweeps.
“We also used it as an opportunity to proactively engage with local communities and provide commuters with safety information.”
Queensland Rail Senior Manager Security Drew Brock said more than 25 of Queensland Rail’s Authorised Officers participated in the operation, aiding police officers in identifying, deterring, and detecting crime and anti-social behaviour on the network.
“Our first priority is always the safety and security of our customers and employees and with our partnership with the Police through the QPS Railway Squad, our Authorised Officers, Security Guards and our Mobile Security Dog teams, we continue to deliver safe and secure rail travel.
“Teams on this operation were supported by Queensland Rail’s 24-hour security monitoring crew which is based at the Rail Management Centre and has access to more than 12,000 CCTV cameras across the network.
“To support the safety of our network in areas of high population growth, Queensland Rail has also opened two new police hubs at Helensvale and Kippa-Ring stations, where both QPS Railway Squad and local Police can work from.
“This is in addition to eight other purpose-built outposts strategically placed across the South-East Queensland network.”
