A crime crisis in Townsville has police laying about 30 charges a day as they promise to continue their blitz over Christmas.  Officers have made 803 arrests and laid 1808 charges since they began cracking down on crime in the regional centre in mid-September.  The police blitz was initially meant to last a month but has just been extended for a second time, with 10 additional officers to support local crews in tackling the crime problem over the festive holidays.  The city's crime rate has risen so dramatically that some locals have resorted to taking matters into their own hands by chasing down young offenders.  The majority have been charged with property, drug and traffic crimes.  Among them is a 16-year-old boy who was charged with 105 offences, including armed robbery and burglary, over a month-long spate of thefts in the city.  Police Minister Mark Ryan said the region would also get 15 extra permanent officers in December as part of efforts to curb the crime problem.  "With these additional policing resources ... I'm confident that we will get on top of the criminal offending situation here in Townsville," he said.  A new chief superintendent position was also announced when Mr Ryan and Police Commissioner Ian Stewart visited Townsville on Thursday.  Mr Ryan will also discuss the possibility of using drones to curb the crime rate during a meeting with Townsville Labor MP Scott Stewart.  Mr Stewart has raised the left-field idea with senior police and argues they are considerably cheaper than helicopters and can be launched from a police vehicle within seconds.  Authorities are also working on long-term strategies that examine contributing factors to youth crime.
A crackdown on crime in Townsville will continue over the Christmas holiday period after police made 803 arrests in the first two months of the blitz.