Hello to everyone. The progressive end of school has already commenced so expect to see school kids wandering around and enjoying the break. Parents, please pay attention and take note of what your kids are up to. Have a contact plan and communicate.

This time of year, we see the commencement of our annual Christmas road safety campaign: speeding, drink (or drug) driving, seatbelts, fatigue and distractions (think mobile phones). The fatal five is known to contribute to a serious injury or death on our roads, and it would be a tragedy should someone from this community, let alone any other, to become a statistic.
There is zero tolerance around this type of offending – it’s no secret. As I always say, it’s all voluntary: your decision will be the difference between a fine or not, and possibly worse.
We continue to have traffic crashes here, and I can only encourage everyone to be patient on the roads. We have huge volumes of traffic daily and not everyone is familiar with these surroundings, so expect the unexpected.
Speaking of traffic and driving – we thank all the fantastic supporters of our Driver Training Initiative. A recent anonymous donation of $800 from a member of this community is testament to the support our young members of the community receive. As a reminder, a learner driver from this community can attend the station and obtain a voucher for a driving lesson from an accredited driving instructor. It’s invaluable and I encourage everyone in that position to take advantage.
There have been a couple of instances this month of motor vehicles being stolen. It’s a fact of life that opportunistic thieves exist no matter where we are these days, not just Tamborine Mountain. If you are going away, look to secure your valuables. If you have a trusted friend or family around, you may think to let them know of your plans and have an available contact number for any emergencies. Don’t give someone the opportunity to thieve from you.
Above all else though, enjoy life. Who cares what others are doing, you can’t change what you can’t control! Unless it's unlawful: then give me a call, or make an anonymous call to Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
As I always say, report matters that might seem suspicious; your information is just a phone call away and may help save someone’s life or protect their property; you never know.
Sgt Mark Shields
OIC North Tamborine Police