Several car thefts over the weekend has north-west Queensland residents "at their wit's end" with the region's spike in property crime issues.
Four cars were stolen from Hughenden, about 400 kilometres west of Townsville.
Of those, two were driven to Mount Isa, located more than 500km away.
Footage captured on Saturday night and shared to YouTube showed a car reversing dangerously down a Mount Isa street and crashing into a pole, narrowly missing pedestrians.
Another video showed a white four-wheel drive travelling erratically through a Mount Isa roundabout on Monday morning.
Police said the four stolen cars were recovered by Monday morning and several people were in custody.
"We've been out there all weekend trying to locate these offenders and put them before the courts," said Patrol Inspector at the Mount Isa Police Department Erin Shawcross.
"But we won't engage in pursuits until we can do it safely."
There had been no reports of injuries to pedestrians, Inspector Shawcross said.
He advised residents to ring triple zero (000) to report any sightings of stolen cars.
"However, stay away from that vehicle and don't try to engage," he said.
Community 'at wit's end'
Brett Peterson has been living in Mount Isa for 58 years.
He recently spent $1,200 on a large sign to create awareness about the postcode's property crime issues.
"I believe the police have lost control of the streets," he said.
"Absolutely, the community is at its wit's end.
"I think every civic leader in this town has got to step up. We're always going to have crime but let's take it down to its minimum amount."
He said he would like to see a curfew imposed.
"I don't know where to start but we have to start somewhere because this community is going down the drain quickly in regards to crime."
Increase in property-related offences
Detective Acting Inspector of the Mount Isa District Meghan Johnson said there had been a spike in property crime in the region, including stolen vehicles.
"In the Mount Isa district we have had an 18 per cent increase in property crime for the year," she said.
She said police worked to bring offenders before the justice system but also worked with other community groups to prevent offending behaviour.
"It's been recognised that, when it comes to crime and youth crime, it is not just the responsibility of police and I think there are a lot of organisations that are working together really well to address the underlying causes as well as the offending behaviour," she said.
