Rural cops come together for annual conference

State Coordinator of Major and Organised Crime Squad, Rural Detective Inspector Mick Dowie said the group will no longer be known as the Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS).

“This came after identifying a change in Queensland crime trends which affect our rural areas as much as they affect our metropolitan areas,” Det Insp Dowie said.

“So whilst we still do stock theft, stock related crime, and agricultural industry-related crime, we also have to look at disrupting and gathering intel on other forms of major and organised crime like ice traffickers, pedophilia, online fraud, and online child exploitation.”

Det Insp Dowie said the biggest issue facing rural Queensland at the moment was the drug ice. 

“The Flinders University did some research around ice in rural areas and the research found people are twice as likely to be either using or affected by the drug ice,” he said.

“So that’s the major concern for us.”