Safety Concerns Rise After Tragic Death at Redbank Town Square

SIX months on from the tragic death of Vyleen White, shop owners in the Redbank Town Square remain in limbo and fear for their workers and community.
The local grandmother was killed in an alleged carjacking at the Redbank Plains shopping centre in February, with a 16-year-old boy charged with her murder. Following the attack, the mobile police beat was rolled out and has come and gone since, but the shop owners have been calling out for more security to protect their workers and the community.
Further attacks have occurred at the complex, with arrests following, including that of 39-year-old local man Mikaele Teofilo for an alleged sexual assault on February 7, only days after Ms White’s passing. Arizona Cafe and Grill has been operating in the complex for six years and has felt the financial loss, with a severe drop in business being attributed to a perceived lack of action from centre management to protect shop owners, employees, and customers.
“We started to pick up sales after The Coffee Club closed down,” a cafe source told Local Ipswich News.
“But due to these on and off security issues, we have been losing a few thousand dollars each week.
“Loss of business and sales have gotten even worse due to elderly people being attacked by youths, and several women have been attacked in the past months. “We have not seen any improvement
in security even after all these issues.
“Our staff are scared to work at evenings.”
Town Square centre management was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
State Member for Bundamba Lance McCallum said the community deserved to feel safe, and the State
government had taken action implementing resources in the crime hotspot.
“This is why we have delivered record numbers of local frontline police and police resources as part of our Community Safety Plan,” he said. “The operational deployment of these record resources is rightly a matter for the Police Commissioner and the Queensland Police Service.
“I’m proud to have delivered more local police – including 40 more in our Ipswich district including Goodna, Springfield and the new Ripley station which is under construction right now– along with 10 additional vehicles, and two more Mobile Police Beats that are regularly at Town Square along with increased patrols, including at night when a Police Beat would be closed. With crime a key platform throughout this State Election campaign, policies from all candidates will be placed under the microscope throughout the region.