Stolen property including 165kg of copper wire found at Pacific Pines on the Gold Coast. Source: Qld Police
A spiralling crime spree is bringing Aussie suburbs to a standstill, plunging them into darkness with power cuts, blacked-out parks and rising fear among residents.
From Brisbane to the Gold Coast and up to Noosa, and across southern capital cities like Sydney and Adelaide, the brazen crime wave has escalated – with authorities warning it had turned deadly.
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Energex said customers in Tewantin and Noosaville were without power this week thanks to copper thieves who severely damaged a transformer, which they then left open with the power on, endangering any passers-by. Source: Energex/Facebook
The latest hit came in Tewantin and Noosaville, where electricity provider Energex reported crews found thieves had severely damaged a transformer, plunging the area into darkness.
The Energex statement was scathing, saying customers “without power tonight can thank copper thieves”, warning the offenders were “very lucky not to have suffered serious injury”.
It warned that the damaged site had been left open and live, creating a serious danger for unsuspecting passers-by.
Locals were furious at the escalating situation, with one agreeing that while times were tough, “they got $100 and it cost us $50,000 to fix it”.
Others demanded answers from the scrap metal industry, asking “they still have to sell it – who was buying it?”
Authorities warned the situation was no longer petty theft but a booming underground trade -with one major bust on the Gold Coast alone seeing detectives from the Queensland Police Service allegedly seize 162kg of stolen copper, drugs and cable-stripping tools.
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Police with copper wire seized during an operation. Source: Qld Police.
Brisbane mayor Adrian Schrinner warned the Queensland capital’s parks, bikeways and sports fields were being stripped bare. Picture: Nigel Hallett
On the ground, the impact was brutal, with Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner warning the city’s parks, bikeways and sports fields were being stripped bare.
City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said the crime had already cost millions and repeatedly plunged suburbs into darkness, calling it a “criminal scourge” that put lives at risk.
Crime Stoppers Queensland warned the impact was spreading with even kids’ sport smashed by such theft – with training cancelled, fields shut and families left scrambling.
Women and night-time walkers were now also reporting avoiding unlit areas altogether, as councils struggle to keep up with the theft of essential infrastructure.
“They are hitting everything right now,” one resident said, while another labelled it “third-world behaviour”.
A statewide parliamentary inquiry – launched under Labor and continued under the LNP – found copper was the top target for scrap metal thieves, hitting power networks, roads, construction sites and even sporting clubs.
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Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery said the repeated thefts were costing millions. Picture Lachie Millard
It exposed a thriving black market, with unlicensed operators allegedly helping criminals offload stolen metal and avoid detection.
Queensland then moved to respond with tough new laws under the Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, introduced in March, aimed at smashing the illegal copper trade at every level – from thieves to dodgy dealers.
The crackdown included a new offence with up to seven years’ jail for attempted metal theft, up to three years for possessing suspected stolen metal, and up to 20 years for receiving stolen metal – with the worst cases facing life imprisonment if lives or critical infrastructure were put at risk.
The laws also tightened the scrap metal industry, introducing mandatory ID checks and photo verification for sellers, requiring all scrap transactions to be recorded, ending anonymous deals, and defining “scrap metal” in law to close loopholes.
Authorities urged anyone who saw suspicious activity to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.
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