Crisafulli Government’s State Flying Squad clocks up more than 2,200 arrests

The Crisafulli Government’s State Flying Squad clocks up 2,265 arrests, 6,931 charges as it marks 125 deployments.
Hotspot locations include Far North District, Townsville District and Darling Downs district.
The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer and delivering more police to the frontline to fight Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis.

The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer with the State Flying Squad arresting 2,265 offenders on 6,931 charges as this rapid response unit marks 125 deployments across Queensland.

Built to move fast, target and remove dangerous criminals from the streets, the State Flying Squad is the largest police rapid response unit in Queensland’s history and provides surge capacity into crime hotspots to help restore safety where you live and turn the tide on Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis.

The State Flying Squad has been deployed to crime hotspots 125 times and arrested 2,265 people – including 1,279 youths – on 6,931 charges.

These results come just days after the Crisafulli Government and Queensland Police Service launched Operation Forge – a high-visibility police operation to continue to reduce victims of crime in Queensland with a targeted crackdown on break-ins, robberies and stolen cars – which commenced last Friday, February 27.

Hotspot locations for the State Flying Squad have included 22 deployments to the Far North District, 20 to the Townsville District and 16 to the Darling Downs District.

The 58-officer specialist unit is triple the size of previous flying squads – and is backed by $32.4 million in funding – which ends the piecemeal approach left behind by Labor which saw officers borrowed from critical specialist units to fill positions.

The Crisafulli Government is restoring safety where you live and has already delivered a 7.2 per cent reduction in the number of victims of crime in 2025, compared with the previous year.

Under the former Labor Government, the number of overall victims of crime increased by 193 per cent during their decade of decline, which included the number of youths charged with car theft jumping from 2,155 in 2014 to more than 7,000 in 2024.

Frontline policing capacity has also improved, with a net increase of 617 police officers since the October 2024 election, while unplanned attrition has fallen to 2.6 per cent - the lowest level in five years.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the Crisafulli Government’s State Flying Squad was making Queensland safer and turning the tide on Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis.

“The Crisafulli Government’s State Flying Squad is delivering for the Queensland Police Service, by giving our frontline officers the tools and resources they need to turn the tide on Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis and reduce victim numbers across Queensland,” Minister Purdie said.

“This rapid response unit, which has now completed 125 deployments across Queensland with another four currently underway, is just one example of how the Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer after Labor’s decade of decline.

“These results mean fewer criminals on our streets; fewer homes being broken into or car stolen as we continue to drive down victim numbers across the state.”

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Samantha Scott, 0499 984 004