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Gold Coast mayor unhappy with 60 Minutes

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke is unimpressed with 60 Minutes depicting the tourist destination as "Australia's crime capital."

Delinquent boys The Inbetweeners may be visiting the Gold Coast to promote their feature film, right now but Mayor Ron Clarke is unimpressed with last night’s 60 Minutes after the show depicted the tourist destination as “Australia’s crime capital.”

Reporter Liam Bartlett spent time on the Coast last month to film the story.

Clarke told News Limited “I’d give it a minus five out of 10.”

“The story was mainly based around a random shooting – the only one that’s occurred, I think, on the Gold Coast.

“The crime rate now is about half what it was 10 years ago per 100,000 people,” he said.

The Nine show claimed the crime rate was spiralling out of control with an armed hold-up every two days.

60 Minutes claimed local police were under-resourced in their battle to fight an underworld culture of drugs and violence, and a crime rate spiralling out of control.

Bartlett interviewed a police whistleblower who exposed major problems within the police force on the Coast.

Gold Coast criminal lawyer Bill Pott said, “There is clearly a significant drug problem on the Gold Coast and while more feet on the beat are needed, the (Queensland) government needs to make some harder decisions and deal with some of the greater social issues that we’re facing here.”

But he denied any increase in violent crime, with property crime remaining static and murder rates dropping slightly.

Last night the story triggered divided opinions on Twitter from those who criticised it for focussing on the glam strip and not the hinterland, to blame at the Bligh Government to those who agreed and were surprised it had taken the show so long to report it.

17 Responses

  1. JeZZa the council had to fork out the most off the cost for the chopper and even then its only a trial run. Gold coast is not to bad, sure there is a fair bit of crime but what city hasn’t got its fair share of it.

  2. When Liam Bartlett asked the Police chief of the Gold Coast , ” What are you running her, Keystone Cops ? ” going by the officers response, I believe that question was inserted after the interview was finished. I know Liam Bartlett is very smug, but I don’t think he would have had the guts to put that question to a senior policeman. Such a sensationalist story from a show that has hit the bottom of the barrel.

  3. @ jeZZa. That would be a fact, this article is about sensationalist crap unsupported by facts. Don’t confuse the two.

    I live in Surfers Paradise and I truly do feel blessed to be able to live here.

  4. I am not suprised at this comment by the Mayor Ron Clarke, afterall the only money that Gold Coast gets is from holiday makers and tourists and property investments which again is because of the tourist dollar. No matter how small or big a crime problem is its still a problem which needs to be adequately dealt with. Thats something the Bligh Govt does not care about, if i was living in Queensland or especially the Gold Coast i would be ropable at the crap investment in the police for Gold Coast. Both Govts have let the queenslanders down and they should not be relected based on that and not to mention over a decade in power. Its a natural fact that the longer a Party stays in power the worse the state or area which they are governing becomes, the first two terms in office are about the peak and then they just start stuffing things up.

  5. No choppers, no computers in Police cars? So how do they do rego checks, stolen car checks, outstanding warrants checks, licence checks, etc.? By mobile phone to somewhere?

  6. Seems that the Gold Coast Mayor, Ron Clarke has not lost the art of running as he is certainly doing so from the obvious problems his city has in maintaining law & order. Keeping the peace is not just the responsibility of The QPS & their overall paymistress Anna Bligh as any police officer will tell you decreasing such offences as armed robberies not only involves them but the general public providing information concerning these matters, which should include pro active initiatives by the prominent citizenry with the complete backing & encouragement of The Gold Coast Council & alike. The most important of which is to admit there is a grave problem that needs to be tackled. Liam Bartlett’s story clearly showed the insular nature of some of it’s more prominent residents & it appears Mr. Clarke is also one of them. Apart from Mr. Bartlett’s piece for 60 Minutes there have been a number of other reports in the general media concerning Gold Coast crime being out of control. The Coast may have won the right to The 2018 Commonwealth Games, but if the unchecked & uncontrollable ongoing violence is left to fester in a state of denial than Mayor Clarke might have to face the very real possibility of moves being made to take The Games from his city & award them to Hambantota due to it being a far safer venue for both athletes & visitors. It’s a long way to 2018 we could well see armed troops on the streets of The Gold Coast by then the way that part of the country is deteriorating so don’t take my comments & predictions too lightly !

  7. For once, 60 Minutes has hit the nail on the head. Crime is out of control on the Gold Coast and the police are being stretched to breaking point. GC’s Mayor is just trying to protect the tourism industry…

  8. First let me say I didn’t watch the report but to me I think it’s been overly reported, it’s like when any topic becomes hot they jump on any incident that happens on the coast. Did they cover Shoolies which is on right now?

    Sounds like 60 Minutes is no better than ACA these days.

  9. What I got from the story last night wasn’t a problem with the gold coast but a problem with Queensland police, and I agree. How are the police supposed to operate in one of the fastest growing regions without the proper funding and suplies? Like the officer said there operating to the best of their ability with what they have at there disposal.

  10. The shooting was a wrong place, wrong time situation, the cops no doubt are under resourced and the government is a disgrace for that, they need the news choppers to help the police. Most of the crime are the hold ups and the unemployment is an issue, surfers on a friday/sat night is dodgy and has become the 2nd kings cross.

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