Police have arrested a man on theft charges after generators, fuel and other items were stolen from properties when ex tropical cyclone Alfred impacts took out the power grid on Tamborine Mountain.
During a town hall meeting at the local Presbyterian church on 11 March, residents lined up to express their frustration at being left not only without lights, heating and cooking facilities but also having no way to pump water for showers or flushing toilets.
Mayor Tom Sharp had earlier pointed out that Tamborine Mountain was the largest area in Australia without reticulated water.
One resident said he already had his private generator and tools stolen after the Christmas night tornado of 2023 left homes without power for weeks.
This time he had been using a generator on loan from a neighbour and despite putting in extra security measures this time, the man said he had been hit again.
“On Sunday night I decided to treat myself to a shower down in Coomera and when I came home I found some tools in a box in the front yard,” he said.
“They’ve been interrupted … they’d broken through my locked door … and they’ve stumbled on my neighbour’s probably $5,000 generator.
“They stole a bunch of my tools that were brand new because I replaced them on insurance when the last tools were stolen.”
The man said his wheelbarrow was also missing and it became evident that it had been used to take the stolen items locally.
“And looking at Facebook it wasn’t just me that night. A lot of people had generators and other stuff stolen.”
Detective Inspector Mark Thompson, representing the Queensland Police Service, told the meeting that there had been extra police officers sent to Tamborine Mountain 24/7 but most of the calls to police during the storm had been from family members of locals who were worried about their loved ones.
“Welfare checks become a significant thing for us … a lot of my police do get taken up in those sorts of activities,” he said.
“When it comes to looting itself, we identified the priorities around that quite simply because there are opportunistic people out there that don’t live with the community standards that most of us in this room hold.
“Break and enters across the greater south-east corner have dropped off significantly because of the police presence but there have been opportunities for people who have taken that chance, so I have a team of detectives that operate in Logan Central .. investigating all the break and enters that have happened over this period.
“When we get hold of those people we will charge them with what we refer to as an aggravated offence and that means a break in or theft that’s happened under a disaster declaration, so the penalties for these offences are significantly increased.”
Queensland Police confirmed their investigations had led to the arrest of a 35-year-old man the theft of several items from a Tamborine Mountain address on Sunday, March 9.
“It wilfollowing l be alleged that a group of people have gained access to the Beacon Road address, before stealing a number of tools, a power generator and a wheelbarrow before leaving the property on foot,” a spokesman said.
“The group have then attempted to gain access to another property on the street but were disturbed by a resident before fleeing the area in a black Suzuki Swift.”
“The man has been charged with one count each of enter dwelling and commit, receiving tainted property, unlawful possession of suspected stolen property. He is due next to appear in Beaudesert Magistrates Court on April 8.”
Police said they were still looking for other people involved in the crimes.
