Ex-cop thought she'd seen it all until car thieves scaled her balcony

Townsville victim shocked as Queensland Police warn car thieves are scaling balconies In short: A former police officer has been left feeling shocked and violated after alleged car thieves scaled her apartment building to steal keys from her fourth-floor apartment. The stolen vehicles have been recovered, and the incident is being investigated. What's next? Queensland Police warn that Townsville car thieves are targeting apartment buildings and balconies. A Townsville victim of crime says she is shocked thieves were able to steal her two cars after breaking into her fourth-floor apartment over the balcony. Queensland Police said they were investigating the alleged incident and warned that offenders were targeting apartments and units in the CBD. Jools Munro, a former police officer of 20 years and Townsville real estate agent, said she and her husband woke on Wednesday morning to find their car keys missing. "It is distressing to see this happening in our beautiful city," she said. "I suppose locking doors and keeping balconies closed on the fourth floor is now a thing in Townsville." Property crime is a hot issue in the North Queensland city with local LNP MPs campaigning to introduce mandatory jail sentences for offenders who breach bail. The Queensland government vowed to reduce crime in areas like Townsville, but conceded this year that more work was needed to bring crime rates down. The latest police data for the northern region shows vehicle theft charges, classified as unlawful use of a motor vehicle, were steady over 12 months. In August 2026, 153 charges were laid compared with 144 in August 2025. The rate of offending did fluctuate monthly with the steepest fall from June 2026 to July 2026 when monthly offences dropped by 42 per cent. Unlawful use of a motor vehicle charges rebounded the following month with a 64 per cent increase from July to August 2026. Stolen cars recovered Ms Munro said the offenders overlooked cash and electronic devices and only took keys from her apartment during the Wednesday morning break-in. "They've only taken car keys, house keys and of course, both our cars," she said. "We could see that our front door was still locked and that's when we realised they've come up and over the balcony." The couple was able to track both cars through phone tracking apps and found each vehicle parked in outer-city suburbs. "They've definitely driven them at speed, fairly hard," Ms Munro said. Ms Munro had left one of her balcony doors open to let in fresh air and had been left feeling violated by the home invasion. "We feel angry at ourselves for not waking up and hearing them in our home," she said. "We feel angry that someone has taken things that don't belong to them, but we know that there are so many victims across Townsville." Balconies targeted Townsville Crime Prevention Unit coordinator Sergeant Julie Cooke said Queensland Police were dealing with an influx of balcony break-ins in the city. "Offenders are climbing balconies and drainpipes to enter unlocked balconies, targeting keys for vehicles, wallets and handbags," she said. "[They are] favouring the rear dwelling doors and the sliding doors, using a tool to crush those door handles and cutting and burning the fly screens." Queensland Police have appealed for anyone with information or CCTV footage about the break-in to come forward.