Rogue crocodiles are terrorising communities in Queensland’s far north and Indigenous councils are pleading for greater powers to deal with them before someone is killed.

They want the state government to give their rangers the authority to capture and relocate problem crocodiles from local waterways.

A saltwater crocodile up to 5m long has been lurking on Mornington island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, while the reptiles are also roaming a number of Indigenous towns in Cape York.

The mayor of Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire, Ralph Kendall, said allowing council rangers with crocodile-handling experience to remove the reptiles would protect communities from attacks.

“I don’t really want one of our people getting eaten by a croc and it’s the type of thing we can prevent,” he said. “We are trying to have our guys deal with the problem, instead of waiting for parks and wildlife to come out.”

The mayor of Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire, Desmond Tayley, agreed council rangers should be able to capture problem crocodiles rather than wait for state wildlife officers to take action.

“Our main concern is that we don’t want to see a human life taken,” he said. “That’s why were are calling to better manage the animals.”

The call comes just weeks after NSW woman Cindy Waldron was taken by a crocodile during a late-night dip at Thornton beach in the Daintree national park.

The Local Government Association of Queensland said it would lobby for council rangers to have the authority to relocate rogue crocodiles following concerns aired at an Indigenous leaders’ forum last week.

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokeswoman said it was yet to receive a formal request from Indigenous councils regarding crocodile relocation but was willing to hear community leaders’ views.