Aussie renters turn to $6 Bunnings hack to feel safe as crime wave surges
Residents in Cairns are adopting an age-old hack to secure their homes amid a spate of home burglaries.
Advice on the different ways renters in Cairns can “add extra security" to their homes is flowing on social media as the city continues to be battered by high crime rates.
A local resident suggested the age-old trick of using "doweling" or timber to wedge into the frames of doors and windows to prevent thieves from entering properties — with the timber required to carry out the hack available from Bunnings for as little as $6.
"Cut the doweling to the length of your closed window, it must fit tightly into where the window slides," the man instructed.
"You can also buy sliding window lock tabs and put two on each window, one at the top and one at the bottom," he said.
"Many thieves are opportunists and want to gain access quickly and quietly so you need to lock all the windows, bathroom included."
High crime rate in Cairns: 'Something needs to be done'
There has been a steady flow of crime occurring in Far North Queensland, forcing residents in the area to attempt to up the security in their homes.
Last week images of youths drawing graffiti onto a wall and vehicle were captured on CCTV and a separate vandalism incident ended with a home under construction having it's windows smashed by unknown offenders.
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The number of unlawful entry offences has more than doubled between 2020 and 2022 in the far north region according to research conducted by state police, with robberies and property damage incidents increasing in the same duration.
The spike in crime rate has left many residents calling for more to be done to combat the offences, while residents in another town in the state's northeast have started to take matters into their own hands, with the increase in youth crime blamed for the spike in vigilante behaviour.
Last month the Queensland government announced they will build a new youth detection centre in the state's southeast and are considering another in Cairns, with the announcement in response to the increase in youth crime rate.
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