Far North Police Target Property Offenders

Queensland police have charged 676 people with 1,869 offences as part of a regional crackdown targeting high-harm property crime in the Far North. Operation Yankee Forge, launched in February, focuses on unlawful entry, vehicle theft and robbery across the state.

Police said 308 young people and 368 adults have been charged since the operation began. Between Feb. 27 and Aug. 13, the operation recorded 453 adult unlawful-entry charges and 711 juvenile unlawful-entry charges, along with hundreds of charges involving vehicle theft and robbery.

A 16-year-old Holloways Beach boy was arrested on Aug. 12 after allegedly stealing property from several addresses and threatening a security officer with a knife. Police said he was found inside a shipping container on Spence Street and was charged with stealing, possessing a knife in public and entering a dwelling. Bail was refused, and he appeared in Cairns Children’s Court on Aug. 13.

An 18-year-old man was also arrested on Aug. 4 after police allegedly found him in a Pease Street unit complex stairwell. He was charged with three counts of attempted unlawful entry at night and remanded in custody for a Sept. 7 appearance in Cairns Magistrates Court. Far North District Chief Superintendent Kevin Fitzgibbon said police would continue using available resources to disrupt property crime and improve community safety.