Sunshine Coast police have now charged 405 offenders as part of Operation Yankee Forge which was launched in February to crack down on high harm offending across the state.

The highly visible operation focuses on targeting unlawful use, robbery and unlawful entry offences, with officers focused on preventing, disrupting and investigating crime.

Of those charged on the Sunshine Coast, 284 are adults and 121 are juveniles.

Overall, police have charged 45 people with robbery offences, 245 with unlawful entry offences and 188 with unlawful use of a motor vehicle offences. 

Between 11 October and 20 October, it is alleged a man broke into properties and vehicles in Maroochydore, Maroochy River, Kiels Mountain, Nambour, Kureelpa and Flaxton, stealing a Toyota Prado, tools, licence plates and other items.

It is further alleged he was in the company of another person during some of the offending, and some of the stolen property was pawned in exchange for cash.

The Toyota and another quantity of the stolen items were located on Ringwood Lane in Mapleton on 19 October.

Further enquiries led officers to attend a park on Delicia Road in Mapleton on 20 October where upon their arrival, the man allegedly attempted to flee the scene by jumping into a pond.

A 31-year-old Mapleton man was arrested and charged with a total of 25 offences including six counts of enter dwelling and commit, three counts of enter premises and commit indictable offence by break and nine counts of receiving tainted property, as well as one count each of stealing, unlawful possession of a motor vehicle, assault occasioning bodily harm and fraud. He was also charged with three drug offences.

The man faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court on 22 October and was remanded in custody to reappear on 23 November.

Following subsequent investigations, a 21-year-old Petrie man was also arrested on 25 October and charged with one count each of enter premises and commit indictable offence by break, fraud and receiving tainted property.

He appeared in Caboolture Magistrates Court on 26 October and was remanded in custody to reappear on 9 December.

Sunshine Coast District Officer Acting Superintendent Craig Mansfield said these results send a clear message that unlawful use of motor vehicles, unlawful entry, and robberies will not be tolerated.

“Targeted operations like Yankee Forge not only disrupt criminal activity, but they also have a tangible impact on the community by bolstering safety and providing residents with peace of mind that police take these offences extremely seriously.”

Conditions of Use for Queensland Police Service (QPS) Operational Footage

The operational footage provided by Queensland Police, including but not limited to body-worn camera, dash cam, and POLAIR vision, is the intellectual property of QPS. This material is supplied to media outlets under the following conditions:

The QPS logo and any associated branding must remain intact and visible on all footage. Cropping, altering, or removing the QPS logo or branding in any form is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from QPS. Footage is provided for the sole purpose of lawful reporting and public information. Any unauthorised use, modification, or redistribution of the material is not permitted.

Any breach of these conditions, including unauthorised alteration or misuse of the footage, may result in legal action being taken by QPS to protect its intellectual property rights.

Continued non-compliance with these conditions may result in the implementation of additional protective measures, such as the placement of a centralised watermark on all QPS footage. By using this footage, you acknowledge and agree to abide by these conditions. For any queries or to seek permission for specific uses, please contact Police Media policemedia@police.qld.gov.au.

Read More