Queensland police have now charged 15 people with 17 looting offences in the wake of the flooding in the state's south-east.

In Brisbane yesterday, 100 interstate officers were sworn in and now have powers to make arrests in Queensland.

During the swearing in ceremony, Deputy Commissioner Ross Baronet told the officers their role will be critical in stopping looting of vacant properties in Brisbane and Ipswich.

"One of the many pressures they face is uncertainty about the security of the property in their homes and businesses and their incapacity to protect what they own," he told the officers.

"Your presence through 24-7 patrolling of flood-affected suburbs will provide enormous reassurance and peace of mind to those people."

The officers will form part of Police Operation Safeguard, a 200-strong taskforce to protect houses and businesses in Brisbane and Ipswich, which starts on today.

With several incidents in the past week, Deputy Commissioner Baronet warned looting continues to be a problem in some flood-affected areas.

"The threat of opportunistic criminal activity in the aftermath of this disaster is real and ongoing," he said.

Claire owns a shoe shop in the Brisbane suburb of Rosalie, which survived the floods but fell victim to looters on Sunday night.

"We considered ourselves some of the lucky ones who didn't get flooded," she said.

"But because we've been running around looking after everyone, helping everyone with no electricity and we haven't had police surveying the area lately, we were robbed overnight because none of us have alarms, none of us have anything and it's just been a disaster really."

She says looters stole about $50,000 worth of stock.

On Saturday, a 22-year-old man allegedly stole a dinghy at Capalaba on Brisbane's bayside.

West of Brisbane, an 18-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been charged after allegedly stealing money, jewellery and food from an evacuated home at Leichhardt, near Ipswich, last Tuesday.

The pair allegedly also broke into another flood-affected home nearby the following night.

On Friday, a man almost drowned trying to flee police after he was caught, along with two other people, allegedly stealing from abandoned boats at the Port of Brisbane.

While police were towing their dinghy he jumped overboard in an attempt to flee and was knocked unconscious.

He was given first aid then treated in hospital.

Some 700 people are still in evacuation centres in Brisbane and Ipswich and hundreds more are with family and friends.

Most are anxious about the protection of what they have left.

Sergeant Gary Broadhurst from Sydney says he is keen to help.

"If you're not at your home, I assure you that police will be around that area to make sure that it's safe and do the best that we can," he said.

Police are warning that people caught looting from flooded-damaged properties could face up to 10 years in jail.