A grey nomad has suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by his own vehicle and caravan during a robbery in Halls Creek in WA’s Kimberley region.
The ABC reports that police say a 76-year-old man had parked his Isuzu D-Max ute, which was towing a white caravan, at a service station on the Great Northern Highway.
The man was allegedly inspecting the caravan when a person, or people, entered the vehicle and drove away.
Police say the vehicle owner was struck by the ute during the incident and suffered serious injuries.
The ABC says it understands the man was underneath the caravan when the vehicle was driven away, and that he is travelling with a woman.
Crime has been an issue in Halls Creek. PIC: WA Police
A Royal Flying Doctor Service spokesperson said the man was flown to Royal Darwin Hospital for medical treatment.
No arrests have been made and police are calling for information from the public.
Both the vehicle and caravan have South Australian registration plates.
President of the shire of Halls Creek, Malcolm Edwards, told the ABC he was sorry and disappointed for what happened.
“I would like to pass our condolences to the gentleman who’s now in hospital and any members of his family,” he said.
The shire will meet again with police in the coming days to discuss how to tackle the town’s ongoing crime problems.
But Mr Edwards said community members were ‘disgusted’ and frustrated.
“People are saying, ‘We’ve had enough of this and what can be done?'” he told the ABC. “They’re trying to think what’s the way forward, because nothing seems to work.”
The Age newspaper reports that Halls Creek has previously recorded one of WA’s highest crime rates per capita.
It says the number of offences recorded in the town has steadily increased since 2015, with the total crime rate recently reaching a 10-year-high.
According to the Age, the most common offence seen by police in the remote town is domestic violence, although the town was in the spotlight in 2022 after children filmed themselves stealing cars and posted the footage to social media.
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Take the politicians and the lawyers out of the equation and let the people (as in Police and the Elders) on the ground do their job. As one that has worked in this type of town and travelled extensively throughout the country I have witnessed the behaviour first hand.