If it’s not key locked, it’s just a flyscreen.

Police are warning residents in the Smithfield area – including the northern beaches – to be vigilant with home security following a number of break and enters in the area over the two past weeks.

Smithfield detectives advise that thieves are targeting screen doors that are latched and not key locked.

Thieves are forcing a hole through security screens then reaching through to unlatch the door. The mere fact that you are home is not a deterrent for thieves seeking mobile phones, cash and car keys. Such items are generally only available when someone is home.

Residents are urged to also remain vigilant with general household and vehicle security.

A FEW TIPS:

HOMES

• Lock your doors and windows, even those on second or third levels
• Key lock doors and windows and remove the keys from the locks
• Ensure that sliding doors and windows are not easily lifted from their tracks
• Engrave or microdot your valuables. Keep an inventory and photographs of valuable items
• Consider installing dead locks, security screens and sensor lights.
• Report suspicious behaviour immediately to police.

VEHICLES

• Once you park your car – lock all doors and ensure windows are up.
• Don’t leave vehicle keys lying around on benches or tables. Treat your keys like cash!
• Remove all valuables from your vehicle – this includes: CD’s, spare keys, coin, handbags, wallets, sunglasses, items of value & tools
• Install an effective anti-theft device.

How secure is your home? Download a free home safety audit and fact sheet to find out.

This is a general guideline only. The Queensland Police Service in providing this information makes no representations nor gives any warranty or guarantee concerning the safety of persons or property. For more information or fact sheets visit www.police.qld.gov.au

Property stolen includes a red 90cc  Kazuma Mini Falcon ATV motorcycles, a DHZ DPro 160cc Pit bike and bike helmets.

Images shown are of similar equipment.

QP1300601138 refers

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or qld.crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a registered charity and community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444.

Drug charges, Weipa:  Detectives charged a 65-year-old Napranum man on Friday following investigations into alleged drug related activities in the Weipa area.  A number of individually prepared quantities of cannabis were also allegedly seized.  The man was charged with one count each of trafficking, unlawful possession and supply of a dangerous drug.  He has been remanded to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on July 15. 

Property charges, Cairns CBD:  A 29-year-old Cairns man was arrested and charged on Monday night after allegedly scaling the exterior wall of a Grafton Street apartment complex.  Witnesses had observed the man acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the complex and contacted police.  Officers attended and apprehended the man on the third floor of the premises.  He was charged with trespass, unregulated high risk activity and possession of house breaking implements and is scheduled to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on June 6. 

Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a charitable community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444.

The Canine Service Medal by the Australian Defence Force Trackers and War Dogs Association presented to PD Vader

Popular Police Dog Vader  joined the award recipients at the Far Northern Regions Police Award Ceremony on May 14,  where he was awarded the Australian Defence Force Trackers  and War Dogs Association Canine Service Medal. PD Vader qualifies for the award having completed over five years continuous service within an operational role.

Vader first came to Cairns in 2010 after spending his first two years of service in Brisbane. In the three years of service in Cairns he’s been responsible for locating an impressive 77 offenders for offences including murder, armed robbery, stealing cars and other offences. PD Vader has also tracked and located a number of people who’ve run off into mangroves and thick scrub in an attempt to self harm.

Police Dog Vader awarded for his service

PD Vader is a good looking black German Shepherd and was originally bred by the Royal Australian Airforce at their kennels in Amberly, Queensland, before coming to the Queensland Police Service exchange program as a 6week old puppy.

By 18 months, Vader had completed an intensive 14 week training course at the Queensland Police Academy where he was trained specifically as a general purpose police dog. Training exercises included tracking offenders who’ve fled from crime scenes, building and area searches for people either missing or hiding from police and chasing down and detaining armed offenders.

Vader and his fellow Police Dogs at Cairns have been trained in a variety of other situations which include helicopter flights, repelling down cliff faces and scaling fences.

Sergeant Dave Raymond & PD Vader at the Award Ceremony

According to PD Vader’s handler Sergeant Dave Raymond, a number of jobs stick out in his mind, one of which was a track and apprehension of a man who was wanted for murder after the man fled from police. The man gave himself up to police when PD Vader located him hiding in a suburban garden.

In another incident, PD Vader apprehended an offender whilst he was still in a moving vehicle. Vader and Sergeant Raymond were in pursuit of a man wanted for a number of offences in the Cairns and Innisfail areas. The man jumped into a vehicle in an attempt to steal it, started the car and started to drive off. Sgt Raymond managed to open the door and PD Vader launched himself into the moving vehicle. PD Vader, Sgt Raymond and other police apprehended the man who was later charged with over 70 offences.

PD Vader is due for retirement in July 2014, so there is still another 12 months or so where we can expect him to patrol the streets of Cairns and wider surroundings, with plenty of opportunities to locate and apprehend more offenders to add to his impressive career tally.

When Vader does eventually retire, it’s expected he will be able to put his paws up as a household pet with Sergeant Raymond’s family.

As part of today’s ceremony PD Vader was awarded his service medal from Acting Far Northern Region Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor, and as  you can see by the vision below, he was very grateful.

Acting FNR Assistant Commissioner awarding PD Vader his medal with Sergeant Dave Raymond

Member for Cairns Mr Gavin King MP, Sergeant Dave Raymond, Police Dog Vader & Acting FNR Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor

Corporate sponsorship is still available should any local businesses or organisations wish to get involved.

NOTE: The 2013 Gordonvale Police Charity Golf Day is proud to support the young family of the late Constable Gene Poole a long serving Gordonvale police officer.

The 2013 Charity Golf Day will be held as follows:-

Details of the competition: Ambrose, teams of 4 players (limit of 200). Teams may include a non playing caddy (5^th person) who will be charged $25. Motorised Buggies are available for $30. Corporate members are invited to nominate a team for the day.

Massive Auction at 6pm on May 24: You don’t have to play golf to attend the auction. All members of the public are most welcome to participate in the auction which will be held after the golf day. Some of the items up for auction include:

• Numerous accommodation packages from some of our finest resorts in Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas
• Signed City-v-Country NRL football jersey
• Signed and limited edition ‘Black Caviar’ print from Royal Ascot (22nd win in a row)
• Authentic Peter Moody Racing Team attire (of Black Caviar fame) which includes shirts, sleeveless zippered jackets, parker coats, tracksuit tops, autographed caps (Photos below are just some of the auction items  proudly modeled by staff at the Gordonvale Police Station)

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE:  Corporate sponsorship exists for $300 to sponsor a ‘hole’ on the course. Your corporate signage can be displayed at that green on the day. Corporate Teams are encouraged to participate in this fun day out. It’s a good team building opportunity in a very social environment.

NOMINATION: Team nomination, buggy hire, to Phil or Shirley Harvey on 0408 772255 or 40563177 or via phil@philharvey.com.au . For those teams who’ve already booked, payment should be arranged with either Shirley or Phil Harvey at Raine and Horne Gordonvale as soon as possible.

Major Raffle: The Gordonvale Police Golf Day Committee will be holding four separate raffles in the lead up to the golf day.  The proceeds of the raffle will assist the committee in their support for the family of the late Constable Gene POOLE.

1. Raffle 1:  Prize Drawn:  April 26 – WINNER – Peter Banaghan
2. Raffle 2:  Prize  Drawn: May 3 – WINNER – Franco Miotto
3. Raffle 3:  Prize Drawn: May 10 – WINNER – John Van Hassell
4. Raffle 4:  FINAL Prize 15 cartons of XXXX Gold  Drawn: May 24 (Night of the Golf Day – The Winner could be you so get in quick to purchase your lucky ticket!)

A total of 60 cartons of beer have been kindly donated by the local Parkview Hotel in Gordonvale and has been split into four major draws over a four week period.

Major Raffle Tickets: $5.00 per ticket per raffle or five tickets for $20.

For tickets contact:

• Gordonvale Police on 4056 3200
• Raine and Horne Gordonvale 4056 5111
• Sgt Andrew Cowie (Cowie.AndrewJ@police.qld.gov.au) Cairns Police Station or
• Email: Erin Shawcross (shawcross.erinp@police.qld.gov.au) or Glenn Schwartz (schwartz.glennt@police.qld.gov.au) advising how many tickets you wish to purchase and in which draw. To purchase, the appropriate amount should be deposited into the NAB account:
  • NAME: GPS Social Club
  • BSB: 084-679
  • Account: 75-400-2010
  • Don’t forget to add your name to the deposit slip as payment needs to be confirmed before tickets are forwarded.

Anyone wishing to donate funds for Constable Gene Poole’s family are most welcome to donate directly into this account. Thank you for your generosity and support.

The Gordonvale Golf Day Committee encourages responsible consumption of alcohol and does not tolerate drink driving! 

Initial information suggests a truck and a car collided on the highway near the turn off at Aloomba shortly after 10am.

A person has died at the scene.

The highway is currently closed, and motorists are being advised to seek an alternative route.

There is no further information available at this time.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a registered charity and community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444.

Join the Watch is gaining momentum with a number of community members inquiring about starting up new Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) areas or by logging onto the the Cairns MyPolice blog just to find out what is happening in their area.

Everyone in the community is able to join NHW, and as you can see by our latest advertising campain, we are encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to ‘Get on board’ and join NHW.

For those interested in getting more involved in their neighbourhood there are many varied roles in which they can look at helping out, some of which include assisting with:

• Local NHW Area’s committee roles
• Zone or Block co-ordinator roles
• Newsletter deliveries
• NHW community displays
• Attending NHW meetings
• Reporting suspicious behaviour to police
• Reporting crimes immediately if you are a victim
• Securing your home and vehicle
• Identifying your valuables by engraving or using microdot technology
• Helping elderly or frail neighbours
• Getting to know your neighbours
• Know what is happening in your community
• Register to receive MyPolice Cairns updates by subscribing (see top right corner)

Exisiting NHW areas are operating in the Cairns area, south to Gordonvale and north to Palm Cove. At present we have one E-Watch program operating in Trinity Beach, with popularity increasing with areas such as Horn Island, Gordonvale, Bentley Park, Forest Gardens, Whiterock and Weipa keen to kick off E-Watch areas.

Neighbourhood Watch groups with a positive energy not only strive to raise awareness about crime prevention issues in their suburbs, they also work together to provide support to improve services and facilities in their community. Such projects include; the establishment of a PCYC in Edmonton, the production of crime prevention fridge magnets for households, raising funds for improvements at a Neighbourhood Centre and a bus shelter at Trinity Park, working with the local council and other stakeholders to officially name parks at Trinity Park, raising awareness about Dengue in the Edge Hill area and particpating in tree planting days, clean-up days and gardening days to improve their community.

For more information about Neighbourhood Watch go to: http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/nhwq/

To find your nearest NHW group, look at the right hand column of this blog detailing NHW meeting dates and times.

Experienced feet on the beat – Constables Richie Manning, Scott Aspin and Cam McIntyre

Bringing with them a combined 46 years policing experience, the Cairns Police last week welcomed three new officers to its ranks.

The three officers recently excited the Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) program which was held in Brisbane which saw them sworn into the Qld Police Service on May 10.

The PACE program provides training to former police officers from other Australian and overseas jurisdictions who wish to join the Queensland Police Service.  

The welcome additions to Cairns include Constable Richie Manning with a combined 20years experience in the UK, New Zealand and the UK Military. Constable Manning has a wealth of knowledge and experience in general uniform, armed response group, tactical crime squad and counter terrorism.

Constable Scott Aspin has travelled to Cairns from New Zealand where he’s been a police officer in general duties for four and a half years. He requested Cairns for the lifestyle and the opportunity to work in our Indigenous communities.

Constable Cam McIntyre is a veteran of 22 years and has served in the New Zealand Police service in general duties and as a Dog Squad handler for approximately 10 years. He’s also worked in remote two person stations as well as the armed offender squad.

The officers will undertake a further six months of on-the-job training under the guidance of local training officers before exiting the program.

Interested in a policing career?

The Cairns Police will be holding their next recruiting night on Tuesday the 18th June, 6.30pm at the Cairns PCYC.

Bookings are essential, book online at: www.policerecruit.com.au or phone 1300 BE A COP

REDLYNCH ROCKS CONCERT

Friday June 7 2013 – Redlynch State College – 5.30pm to 9.30pm

“Redlynch Rocks”  is not a competition to see who is the best, but rather an opportunity for young musicians to showcase their talents.

Senior Constable Fletcher has advised that he has four bands registered to perform at the ‘Redlynch Rocks’ concert.

“We’ll be able to showcase some great bands and great music. The range of talent is from beefy classic rock to hard core metal, so it should be a very interesting and eclectic event,” Senior Constable Fletcher said.

Some of the bands have more than 1200 followers on Facebook, so organisers are expecting a large and passionate crowd in attendance.

“The larger the crowd the more people we will be able to target for the QEIPP message,” Senior Constable Fletcher said.

The event is being led by the Queensland Police Service in partnership with Redlynch State College and is funded by Queensland Early Intervention Pilot Project (QEIPP).

The event is being held in a 100% safe drug and alcohol free environment.  The aim of the event is to provide young people under the age of 18 with information on the impacts of binge drinking and encourage them to think about more positive and less risky life choices.

Want to play at Redlynch Rocks?

1. Complete & sign the application form and stage plan (Ensure it is filled out accurately) – http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/cairns/files/2013/03/PERFORMER-NOMINATION-FORM.pdf
2. Sign the Information and conditions of entry form and stage plan - http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/cairns/files/2013/03/Information-and-Conditions-of-Entry.pdf
3. Forward a demo and biography

RSVP as soon as possible or by close of business Friday 24th May 2013. 

Post to:

• Senior Constable Michael Fletcher, Cairns Police, PO Box 1120, Cairns; or
• Drop off - S/Constable Michael Fletcher, Cairns Police Station, 5 Sheridan St, Cairns; or
• Email: fletcher.michaelw@police.qld.gov.au//

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Successful applicants must attend a compulsory band meeting on Friday May 31, 2013 at a venue to be confirmed, failure to attend will forfeit your place in the competition. Good luck!

For more information on the Queensland Early Intervention Pilot Project (QEIPP), download this PDF brochure.

Around 12.20am, a stolen four wheel drive was driven into a bottle shop on Aumuller Street, Westcourt.

The group of four men in the vehicle were disturbed and fled the scene without any property.

At 12.40am, the vehicle was then driven into another bottle shop in Charlotte Close, Worree.

The group has taken a quantity of alcohol and cigarettes before leaving in the vehicle.

The vehicle was located abandoned a short time later in Manuda.

The four men are all described as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in appearance and were driving a black Ford Territory.

Police investigations are continuing.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a registered charity and community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444.