New Gold Coast police beat opens but locals dismayed by 'business hours'

The long-awaited $1.1 million police beat in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast has opened, but some residents have questioned its limited operating hours.

Two officers will man the facility in business hours, Monday to Friday.

Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Kylie Rigg said the beat "allows officers to engage with victims and witnesses close to and where the incidents actually are occurring and get back out on patrol quickly".

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Police Minister Dan Purdie defended the operating hours, clarifying the beat was "never announced to be a police station".

The new police beat aims to address safety concerns in the area.

It had been operational for only 20 minutes when officers apprehended a man suspected of shoplifting.

"We've had young women, employees of local businesses in particular, too scared to come into Burleigh, and that's not the Burleigh that we want," Burleigh MP Hermann Vorster said.

In addition to the police beat, a $4 million investment will see increased police patrols and the installation of CCTV cameras throughout the suburb.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.