The threat of looting is making Queensland flood victims reluctant to evacuate their properties when advised, police say.
Amid the natural disaster, police have issued a warning that thieves caught taking advantage of vacant homes or displaced property, will face the full force of the law.
In separate incidents, three
men have been charged after trying to steal two small boats which had washed from moorings on the Brisbane River on Wednesday, police reported.
"It's really unfortunate that we still have people who, during these desperate times, go about trying to make the misery even worse for others," deputy Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart told the Seven Network.
"We have said right throughout this event (that) anyone who is caught looting or stealing in this way will be dealt with with the full force of the law."
Officers are permanently stationed at suburbs where residents have been evacuated, in an attempt prevent thefts.
"We have an issue with people not wanting to leave their homes, to evacuate, because many of them simply fear that people will come in and rob them while they're not there," Mr Stewart said.
"So one of the critical tasks that emergency services and police do is ensure that those properties are protected and as you know in many of the towns throughout Queensland we've actually fully-evacuated, the only people left basically are the police."
Asked to confirm the penalty for looting, Mr Stewart said it is essentially stealing.
"A gentleman in Rockhampton the other day got six months imprisonment for breaking in and trying to steal alcohol from one of the hotels up there that was sandbagged," he said.
"So you can see that the courts are taking a very dim view of this."
- AAP
