THE Minister for Police says new ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws are reducing crime in the region’s most under-resourced city.
But figures shown to MyCity Logan by the state’s opposition tell a different story, with the number of serious offences like armed robbery increasing by 50% in Logan.
It follows news of 100 new police positions that will be added to Logan’s force this year.
According to Queensland’s police minister Dan Purdie, stronger laws are starting to see “genuine reductions across some of the most prolific offences” in Logan and the southeast.
Last week, the government added 20 new offences, including rape and torture, to its list of ‘adult time’ crimes, which will see young people aged between 10 and 17 face tougher maximum sentences.
According to the government, police data shows a 15.7% drop in the unlawful use of motor vehicles in Logan and the Gold Coast between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025, when compared to the same period the year prior.
In the broader southeast region, there was a 16.7% reduction in unlawful entry offences and a 5.4% reduction in assaults compared to the previous reporting period.
A Labor Party insider last week revealed statistics that showed increased offending in several crime categories in the city.
According to the police data the insider shared, armed robbery in Logan during January and February of this year was up 52% on the previous year, while unarmed robbery was up almost 48%. There were also slightly more shop stealing and shop break-in offences.
Woodridge MP and deputy leader of the Labor Party, Cameron Dick, said Logan residents told him ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws had failed.
“They’ve never felt more unsafe in their home and on the streets,” he said.
“Local people tell me the thing they are angriest about is the promise David Crisafulli made that crime would be down by last Christmas when it’s not.”
The QPS on Thursday announced 20 new police positions for Logan, with another 80 to be added after June this year, to help the city deal with current officer vacancies and unmet demand, according to news reports.
Last week also saw the government expand its ‘adult time’ crimes to include several serious offences such as attempted murder, attempted rape, aggravated attempted robbery and drug trafficking. Crimes such as murder, manslaughter and burglary were among the first offences included when the bill was introduced late last year.
“The fact the LNP are now having to introduce amendments this week is an admission by them that they rushed through and bungled their crime laws,” Mr Dick said.
Mr Purdie said the previous state government “ignored” the desperate cries of local police and residents who were “under siege by offenders willingly thumbing their noses at the law”.
“Undoing a decade of Labor failings will take time, and we acknowledge we may see some spikes along the way, but we are committed to having less victims overall in the next four years,” he said.
Rochedale South Neighbourhood Crime Watch (RSNCW), which recently made headlines for its success deterring crime and tracking offenders, has recorded a 30% drop in crime since the 3000-strong group was formed five months ago.
“However, what stands out is the significantly lower rate of break-ins in Rochedale South since RSNCW’s inception – especially in assault, arson, and weapon-related offences,” RSNCW founder Damion Douglass said.
He said the community was playing a role in the suburb’s apparent crime reduction.
