Police Beat – Little Boy Found

Police Beat – Regos, DV and successful search

by Michael Brantz

Last month a 5-year-old child went missing in bushland at Wallu, sparking one of the largest searches ever conducted on the Cooloola Coast.

Mick and I helped to coordinate the massive air and land search which involved helicopters, trail bikes, horses, four-wheel-drives, dogs and other assets, all trying to find the young boy before nightfall and bad weather set in.

The adventurous five-year-old was eventually found safe and well just after 6pm – much to the relief of everyone involved in the search effort.

I started work at 2pm that day, completely unaware of the job that had unfolded, and was met at the Police Beat by a group of eight people volunteering their services to help search for the child. Further calls of assistance were received regularly throughout the afternoon as the power of social media took over.

By the time the boy was found, a large contingent of Cooloola Coast locals had gathered at the Police Forward Command Post, ready to help in any way necessary. It is a superb reflection of the community spirit on the coast that so many people dropped everything to offer their assistance and I would like to publicly thank everyone who did so.

Once again I must acknowledge the efforts of the orange-clad men and women of the State Emergency Service who managed to muster numerous volunteers at short notice to assist with the search. The commitment and dedication displayed by the SES is outstanding and Police Search and Rescue operations would rarely succeed without their assistance.

Domestic Violence (DV) continues to be a problem; both in society generally and more specifically here on the Cooloola Coast. Since our last article was written, police from Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach have attended twenty (20) DV incidents ranging from threatening text messages to physical violence and assaults.

The recent, fatal incidents on the Gold Coast show just how serious the consequences of a DV incident can be.

Domestic abuse is often described as a cycle of violence which goes through a number of stages or phases culminating in some kind of explosion or violent incident. The perpetrator then exhibits remorse towards his/her partner and the cycle begins again.

It is important to break this cycle of violence and stop the abuse and often the victim needs help to do so. If you recognise behaviours or signs of DV in your relationship, or are concerned about someone who is being abused, it’s time to get help.

In an emergency you should call Triple Zero (000). If you want to talk to someone other than the police, there are a number of agencies who can assist, including ‘DV Connect’ (Womens line 1800 811 811 / Mens line 1800 600 636), and ‘Kids Help Line’ 1800 551 800.

Finally this month, it has now been a year since the requirement to display a registration label on light vehicles was abolished. We are coming across an increasing number of people driving unregistered cars, partly because the ever present reminder of their vehicle’s registration status is no longer stuck to the windscreen.

Can I urge you all to check the registration date of your vehicles and make sure they are current?

If you can’t find your vehicle’s registration paperwork, the Department of Transport and Main Roads website offers a service where you can check the registration status of your vehicle online. It could save you some money, with the current fine for driving an unregistered 4-cylinder motor vehicle being $282.

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CAN YOU HELP TO KEEP THE COOLOOLA COAST SAFE?

Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay SES Groups are in URGENT need of new members. The Queensland SES consists of thousands of  volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and professions who respond 24/7 to emergencies and disasters across our state.

The State Emergency Service is an organisation of ‘ordinary people doing extraordinary things’.

We will have a display at the Tin Can Bay markets on October 17 for SES Week which runs from October 17-25; so please drop by and have a look at what this important organisation of dedicated members does for our community.

Why not show your support by dressing in orange on November 18 for the SES Wear Orange to Work Day (WOW).  Involve your work mates, friends, family and neighbours.

For more information contact Rainbow Beach SES on 0427033160 or Tin Can Bay SES on 5486 4604.