Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington has welcomed the extension of Operation Forge for a further six months, reaffirming that community safety remains a top priority.

Since launching in February, the high-visibility policing operation has targeted serious repeat offenders responsible for break-ins, robberies and stolen vehicle offences across Queensland. The results speak for themselves, with more than 6,400 offenders charged with over 18,000 offences statewide.

Closer to home, police across the Darling Downs district, including the South Burnett, have charged 455 offenders with more than 1,250 offences as part of Operation Forge.

Mrs Frecklington said the extension would allow police to continue their strong focus on tackling high-harm offending and keeping local communities safe.

“I want to acknowledge and thank our hardworking frontline police officers for the incredible work they do every day to protect our communities,” Deb said.

“Our police deserve the laws, resources and support they need to do their job effectively, and that’s exactly what the Crisafulli Government is providing.

“We are backing our police with stronger laws and practical measures to hold serious and repeat offenders accountable.

“The extension of Operation Forge means police can continue targeting high-harm offending, helping restore community confidence and improve safety across our towns and communities”.

“While there is more work to do, we remain committed to supporting our police and delivering our plan to restore safety where you live.”

Mrs Frecklington said the early success of Operation Forge demonstrates the importance of giving police the tools and support needed to keep Queenslanders safe.