My simple solution to revitalise Nambour: businessman

Andrew Pitcher … “if Queensland Police and the Department of Health fix the drug issue in the centre of town then the business investment will come and it’s actually that simple.”

Improving safety in Nambour would immediately stimulate business investment and reinvigorate the town, according to a local businessman.

Andrew Pitcher was raised in Nambour and has been involved in real estate investment and development in the area for more than 20 years.

“As a community, we need to aim higher,” he said.

“This isn’t the town we grew up in. It isn’t the town we love.”

Mr Pitcher said investment would quickly flow into the town as soon as serious drug and crime issues were addressed.

“I know of plenty of business investment that is not far from coming to Nambour, but they’re all a bit reluctant because of a group of about 20-40 people who are probably a bit out of control,” he said.

“And it’s not good enough. I think if Queensland Police and the Department of Health fix the drug issue in the centre of town then the business investment will come and it’s actually that simple.”

What wasn’t as simple, he said, was trying to navigate levels of government bureaucracy and politics to get some real action on the ground.

“I certainly don’t want to cut across or devalue any of the work already in play in town. And everyone is very sympathetic to people with drug issues. But we need to get more action, quicker. It’s not fair on the tens of thousands of people who want to feel safe and who want to see Nambour thrive.

“I think someone has to start saying something because I actually don’t think the problems are unfixable. But no-one wants to take the first real steps.”

Mr Pitcher echoed the frustrations of many people in town who were afraid to speak up about the issue or who wondered why nothing had been done.

“Make no mistake, if the anti-social behaviour, intimidation, crime and lawlessness are not stopped, the reinvigoration simply won’t happen. We know that from the last few years. The Nambour community needs to aim higher, and authorities need to make the streets safe again.”

Mr Pitcher and his wife Jo both went to school in Nambour, played sport there, and have many friends in town.

“One of our parents went to school in Nambour and two of them worked in the town from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

It has been good to us. We’ll always back Nambour.” But real solutions were needed to break the CBD's reputation for crime, homelessness, drug use and antisocial behaviour, he said.

Andrew Pitcher … “an economic and social tragedy.”

“Everyone tries to paint a rosy picture about how Nambour is ‘coming back’ and that ‘great things are happening’. But words don’t have a real impact on the safety and security of people in the town. Everyone knows people who used to shop in Nambour, who used to use its services, but who simply no longer bother. That is an economic and social tragedy.”

Mr Pitcher said he was shocked at the levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in recent months, including the murder in the main street, an armed robbery, stabbings, drug use in public spaces, break and enters, and domestic violence incidents.

He presented an eight-point plan for discussion to improve safety “immediately and sustainably”.

• A police presence is required in the centre of town.

• The public need to be able to contact the police more readily than today.

• All public medical and support services (inc for drug issues) should be relocated to the hospital.

• We need to adopt zero tolerance to anti-social behaviour, with offenders caught and prosecuted.

• We need private security firms to supplement police presence in town.