Two teenagers from the Gold Coast were arrested last Friday (July 19) using road spikes following the theft of a Subaru at Byron Bay.
The vehicle was being driven by the 15-year-old and the police pursued the two teenagers from Byron Bay to Brunswick Heads, then via Ocean Shores back onto the M1 heading south.
‘Police deployed road spikes around Ewingsdale which was successful and the two teenagers were arrested at Tintenbar,’ Matt Kehoe, Detective Chief Inspector Officer in Charge of Byron Bay Police Station, told The Echo.
‘The two teenagers had links to a household in Ocean Shores but were from the Gold Coast.’
Don’t leave your keys lying about
Detective Inspector Kehoe said that around 90 per cent of car thefts would not occur if people were more conscious of locking their cars and houses as well as not leaving their car keys in obvious places around the house.
‘If people keep their keys in a safe place probably more than 90 per cent of car thefts in the region would not take place,’ he said.
‘The big message is don’t leave your car keys lying around the house, put them in a safe and secure, not obvious, location. Don’t leave a spare key on the car, in the console or in the glove box. It is mindblowing that some people still leave their keys in the ignition. Store your keys securely in a hidden spot.’
Early intervention
Cart thefts and break-and-enters have been up slightly across the Byron Shire recently and early intervention is key to stopping young people becoming entrenched in the criminal system. The police are currently working with the Richmond Police as part of the taskforce Operation Mongoose North looking at the issues of break-and-enter and vehicle theft. They also have a daily brief with the Gold Coast Police to look at cross-border issues.
‘We are seeing young people coming from the north from the Gold Coast and south-west from Ballina, Goonellabah and Coraki in relation to car thefts and break-and-enter,’ said Detective Inspector Kehoe.
‘Young people are largely involved in these thefts and break-and-enters and we also utilise diversionary programs with the Tweed Byron Police for young people in our region. Diversionary programs are absolutely successful with young people who are identified early and it stops them going down the slippery slope of the youth criminal justice system. Once they are in the youth justice system you see them repeat offend over and over. But if we can find a positive way to engage them through sports, art, or employment it breaks that cycle.’
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