Break-ins and home invasions terrifying Queenslanders

Residents in the Brisbane suburb of Pallara are being targeted by intruders and some are so terrified they are barricading themselves inside their homes.

Vision of one home break-in shows intruders declaring they had a "search warrant" to the terrified occupants.

The shocking home invasion took place in broad daylight in the outer southern Brisbane suburb yesterday.

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It is the latest in a spate of youth crime in the area.

Queensland Police believe the criminal pair were responsible for several other break-ins yesterday.

Police data shows rates of unlawful entry, car theft, trespassing and robbery are on the rise in Pallara.

New video released by Queensland Police shows a man with a shotgun demanding cash from a business at nearby Forest Lake on Saturday.

Residents are banding together to form a crime watch group, with 500 members conducting their own nightly patrols.

"We are on tenterhooks ... we are on the edge and I honestly don't know if there's anyone who's looking after us," Tejinder Singh told 9News.

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Singh said his home was the target of an attempted break-in and he was threatened with a knife when the criminals couldn't get inside.

"I haven't slept, I'm now ignoring work just to be able to focus here, it's taking a toll on my mental health," he said.

"I've got an eight-year-old who understands things are happening and he's like, 'Dad, what's happening?'"

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Pallara woman Vika Vaka said her home was broken into while she was dropping her children off at school.

Others who were too distraught to speak on camera told 9News they were scared of being targeted again, with some even using wooden planks to barricade their front doors shut.