On the lead up to any peak period, Sandy advocates to ensure our frontliners have additional resources as part of managing the extra volume. As part of this, she asked a Question on Notice (QON) in the last Parliament sitting week to the Queensland Minister for Police which is below including their full response:
Sandy’s QON
With reference to another fatality from a vehicle rollover at Teewah Beach last weekend— Will the Minister advise what actions the government will be taking to improve safety along this stretch classified as a road, through education, prevention, monitoring and compliance actions, given the ongoing reports of irresponsible and dangerous driving endangering residents, tourists and the environment in this mobile blackspot area?
The Minister’s response
I am advised by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) that the Sunshine Coast Police District continues to focus upon road safety education and enforcement for high-risk areas including Teewah Beach.
I am further advised by the QPS that the Sunshine Coast Police District Highway Patrol Unit currently has carriage of Operation Sandstorm which targets proactive and enforcement policing activities such as speed detection, seat belt non-compliance, random breath testing, random drug testing, unlicensed and disqualified driving, defect vehicles, hooning offences with vehicle impounds and provides assistance to National Parks Wildlife Rangers. Police officers and support units attached to the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay Burnett Police Districts also support this operation when necessary.
Operation Sandstorm deployments are undertaken on the Noosa North Shore in conjunction with Wide Bay Burnett Police District, Queensland National Parks and Noosa Shire Council to ensure greater coverage of the Cooloola Recreation Area. These operations include the use of emerging technology such as drones to assist in the detection of offenders.
The Sunshine Coast District police also work in partnership with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and University of the Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration on the Beach Driver Offender Program to better understand driver attitudes and behaviour which in turn will inform operational planning and preventative strategies.
The QPS continuously review demand for resourcing to the Cooloola Coast in accordance with an intelligence-led policing approach where resources committed match demand.
This QON is available in the official Parliamentary record (Hansard) at https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2023/1522-2023.pdf
We are still awaiting the proposed changes following the Cooloola Visitation Study which are residing with the Queensland Minister for the Environment, and will update as soon as received.
Further Information
For those who would like to directly advocate regarding police resourcing for Teewah, please contact the Queensland Minster for Transport and Main Roads via police@ministerial.qld.gov.au. Please cc’ our office in via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward any response you receive to us.
For all our previous updates regarding Teewah, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Teewah