Why theft in Gympie dropped 24 per cent in 2020

The COVID-enforced shutdowns and laws produced an unexpected silver lining in Gympie with the number of thefts in the region plummeting by 24 per cent last year.

Police data has revealed there were 630 recorded thefts in the region in 2020, down more than 200 on the year before.

These crimes included fuel drive-offs, shop lifting and theft from houses and vehicles.

This stark drop resulted less than 40 thefts being reported in the Gympie division in four separate months (April, August, November and December 2020), compared to the number of monthly offences dropping below that mark only once in the two years before (July 2018).

MORE GYMPIE NEWS

However the restrictions only came into force after the Gympie division experienced its worst spike in 20 years; there were 535 thefts reported from September 2019 to February 2020, including 111 in January alone.

Gympie police officer in charge Gregg Davey said the COVID restrictions were a central factor in this drop.

“Gympie police has a designated officer who works on prepping up investigation files for the fuel drive-offs reported in the Division,” Senior Sergeant Davey said.

“These files are then disseminated across the State for follow up. During COVID restrictions the Division observed a decrease in offending for general theft.”