John MacKenzie chats with Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Newton, QPS, about the rise in theft and assault rates in Cairns and Far North Queensland.

John MacKenzie chats with Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Newton, District Officer Far North Police District with QPS, about the rise in theft and assault rates in Cairns and Far North Queensland.It has been revealed that FNQ has experienced the worst growth in crime rates in comparison to the rest of the state.Cairns is seeing the highest offence rate in over 20 years, currently standing at over 18,000 offences per 100,000 people.Many fear that post-traumatic stresses and mental health issues will escalate as crime increases, with many pleas being made by discouraged residents for our elected leaders to uphold their duty-of-care to the community.