Mayor calls for tougher penalties after Mount Isa Police Beat destroyed by fire

Mount Isa Mayor Tony McGrady has called for more severe sentences to “a handful of louts” responsible for putting a stain on Mount Isa’s reputation in the wake of the Pioneer Community Police Beat fire on Saturday morning.

Police and fire crews were called to the Police Beat on Short Street in the Mount Isa suburb of Pioneer about 1.45am after nearby residents reported the fire engulfing the building, which was unoccupied at the time.

Mount Isa Police Superintendent Russell Miller described the unit as a “mini police station” with a car, police equipment and personal belongings in the building destroyed.

Police say the fire is being treated as suspicious with investigations into the cause of the fire continuing.

About 15 firefighters from four Mount Isa Fire Service crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Cr McGrady said it was time for a hard-line stance on criminals tarnishing Mount Isa’s image.

“There is a handful of louts who do the graffiti, the wilful damage and these types of things like the fire... and it puts a stain on the reputation of a good, hard-working community,” he said.

“If we don’t take severe action against the perpetrators then what kind of message are we sending to our next generations?”

“There comes a time when people in the community say ‘enough is enough’ and we’ve reached this stage.”

 “The Mount Isa Police leadership team at the moment is the best I’ve seen in my 50 years in the city, but when these people go before the courts, all I see is lenient sentences.”

The former Police Minister fully supported the idea of police residing in the community but said the consequences could have been deadly if the Pioneer base was set up as a “traditional” police beat.

“There were two families living either side (of the Police Beat) but if it was set up in the way of a traditional police beat, where the police officers actually lived in the police beat building, then we could’ve been talking about a death or serious injury to the police officers, their partners and kids.”

Cr McGrady appealed to the community to help catch the culprits.

“It’s vital the community comes forward to help find the perpetrators,” he said.

Detectives were on scene scouring for clues early on Saturday morning and were seen walking the adjacent St Kieran’s Primary School grounds looking for evidence.

Scientific investigators arrived from Brisbane at midday Saturday to help determine the cause of the blaze.

Superintendent Miller was disgusted that a police building was the target.

“It’s disgusting… If people have an issue with police, come forward and we will deal with it,” he said.

The unit welcomed new staff Senior Constable Betty Hamoud, who leads as the officer-in-charge, and Senior Constable Bradley Hay, only a few months earlier in June.

When taking on the role at the beat, Senior Constable Hamoud said she intended to work closely with families, businesses, schools and residential stakeholders to ensure community safety.

“We want to work closely with the Pioneer community,” Senior Constable Hamoud said.

Superintendent Miller said the two officers had already built strong relationships in the area.

“The two young coppers have just established themselves in the community and have been doing a lot of good work to establish relationships,” he said.

Superintendent Miller said there were no immediate suspects with known issues with police.

“We will keep a very open mind on who might be involved,” he said.

“If anybody knows anything, we encourage them to come forward.”

Mount Isa Fire and Emergency Services Inspector Ross Mutzelburg said the blaze was well alight when crews arrived on scene.

“It’s still under investigation, but it appears it had been burning for some time before we were notified, which is not unusual given the time of it,” he said.

Police are appealing for anyone that may have witnessed anything suspicious in the area around the time of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.

Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day