402 people have been arrested on 1,359 charges through a multilevel crime crackdown across the Wide Bay Burnett district.
The current Operation Whiskey Legion deployment wraps up today after a nine-day effort to reduce crime in the community.
The Wide Bay Burnett district saw specialist police from Highway Patrol, Crime and Intelligence Command, Water Police, Dog Squad, Stock Squad and Crime Prevention join forces with local police to saturate the area and target high-risk crime and offenders.
Detective A/Chief Superintendent Craig Morrow said this deployment produced positive results.
"Throughout the operation, police executed 74 search warrants, 91 hotspot patrols, and 44 bail/curfew compliance checks," Detective A/Chief Superintendent Morrow said.
"There were 402 people arrested, 370 were adults and 32 were juveniles.
"The 1,359 total charges include serious offences relating to domestic violence, drugs, firearms, and property and vehicle offences."
North Coast Region Assistant Commissioner Glenn Morris said though enforcement is important, education was also a key aspect of this deployment.
"Police had a strong focus on connecting with the community shown through conducting 6,856 community and 184 business engagements," Assistant Commissioner Morris said.
"Police also engaged with 250 victims and referred 37 people onto support services.
"The other key priority of this deployment was strengthening road safety.
"The communities noticed a heavy police presence on the roads and beaches while officers actively patrolled and conducted 6,430 random breath tests and 375 random drug tests - some of the highest numbers we've seen throughout all Operation Whiskey Legion deployments."
Wide Bay Burnett District Officer Superintendent Anne Vogler said the operation was well received.
"We have received very positive feedback from the community as the amount of extra police in the community was obvious," Superintendent Vogler said.
"It was important to me that this deployment not only focused on the larger regional areas, but also the smaller rural communities too.
"This operation has seen a welcomed surge in our everyday policing, however the work doesn't stop once the extra resources leave town.
"Our local officers look forward to continuing on this trajectory towards strengthened community safety.
"Local police are undertaking a range of strategies to tackle crime every day and they will continue to do so regardless of operational activity.
"We are in this for the long haul, and we will continue to sustain high pressure on targeting those doing the most harm in our community."
Since Operation Whiskey Legion began in April, a total of 3,177 people have been arrested on 8,107 charges.
The operation will continue to be deployed to other communities across the state.
1.23 – 2.12 – relates to Water Police patrolling boat ramps and waterways in and around Tin Can Bay, Hervey Bay and Burnett Heads. For more information on that, please see this media release: https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/maryborough/2024/08/05/operation-whiskey-legion-dangerous-drivers-targeted-across-wide-bay-burnett/
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
