Facebook feedback lays out residents’ Nambour CBD fears
The Gazette’s last edition report on calls for a stronger police presence in Nambour sparked more than 80 online comments, highlighting a community grappling with safety concerns, limited police resources, and the complex needs of vulnerable people.
Daylight drug deals, screaming matches and a mother scared to let children cross a local park were some of the anecdotes reported by locals.
Many echoed CBD businesspeople’s complaints that screaming matches, drug deals, drug and alcohol abuse and aggressive and antisocial behaviour now felt routine.
Several comments said open drug deals were occurring in broad daylight.
Adam said: “outside Vinnies today while they smoked weed out in the open, stinking out the place”, adding there was “no point calling 000 … they are gone before anyone turns up”.
So many fighting in the streets
Kellie said: “In the last few weeks it has become really bad, so many fighting in the streets, constant screaming for no reason, drug deals in broad daylight and even drug use in broad daylight.”
Wade, who has lived in the area three years, put it bluntly: “I have never seen a policeman walking around – extremely rare to see a police car. Junkies and violent aggressive people on the other hand …”
Parents expressed fear for children. Lyndall said school-age pedestrians had to “run the gauntlet of drug-affected homeless men crossing the bridge in Quota Park”, arguing the balance of services currently “is slanted towards the homeless and not looking after our children”.
Rachel said she was approached by a woman wanting a cigarette or a vape and “got a whack on my chest” when she couldn’t provide either.
Vacant shops
Meg said: “No wonder businesses don’t last here and we have so many vacant shops.”
Others backed the promised police beat but warned staff numbers would be critical.
“A police station where you don’t have to press a button and wait for an officer to rock up would be handy,” Joshua wrote.
Yet not everyone believes more uniformed officers are the sole answer.
Alannah urged a broader strategy: “If the only solution is more police then we have failed before we begin. Neglected areas can become alive through activity created by business, community, government and councils.” She questioned why prime CBD premises remained vacant despite Nambour’s population boom.
Mental health concerns
Gerardine called for “a functioning mental-health system that looks after people until they are safe to be in the community”, while Laine said safety fears had already cost the town trade. Her business withdrew from the town-square markets after repeated thefts.
Amid the anger, some posters said they did spot occasional foot patrols, but, as Andrew noted, “The problem may be that there are not enough police to do this regularly.”
Stu said the issue ws having an effect on trade in town.
“A lot of locals are hesitant to shop in the CBD now due to safety concerns which in turn affects CBD businesses losing trade.”
Helen said Nambour was shouldering more than its fair share of the burden: “It feels like this one small community is being left to carry the weight for a much larger region.”
