Key youth justice figures put FNQ’s juvenile offenders on notice
No more roundtables, no more research studies – two of the key figures heading the latest war on youth crime in both the Far North and across Queensland explain why they believe the latest legislative change will make a difference. HAVE YOUR SAY
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NO MORE roundtables, no more research studies – two of the key figures heading the latest war on youth crime in both the Far North and around Queensland say the time for action is now.
Amended legislation is expected to be signed off in a matter of days after passing through Parliament last week which will put the onus on hardcore recidivist young offenders to prove why they should be granted bail.
Police Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon, who was named in February to lead a Youth Crime Taskforce, and Department of Justice senior executive director Michael Drane visited Cairns on Friday to talk up the tough new measures they hope will be a “game changer”.
MORE NEWS
The serious crime that’s surging in Cairns
Violence and silence: Mafia’s growth in FNQ
Final hours of 10 baffling FNQ mysteries
Assistant Commissioner Scanlon reiterated the focus remained on the “10 per cent” of juvenile criminals who account for almost half the offences and conceded it was time to do better to protect the community from them.
“This is about doing,” she said.
“We don’t need to research this stuff any further in my mind, there are very solid reports and data and a myriad of research being done around this this.
“This is really about the doing and about everybody with the same purpose to be focused on this group of young people to make a change.
“It cannot be done alone, it’s got to be done as a collective with a clear focus on what the end state is and that is to try and do much better work, much more connected work to manage the behaviour and lower that risk they are creating in the community.”
She and Mr Drane have inspected local police watch houses and the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and held meetings with stakeholders, including local magistrates, since the taskforce was announced.
He said parents remained key though with the courts now able to seek assurance from them, guardians and carers when making decisions on bail.
“That’s not easily done,” he said.
“But when they’re known to us … we’ll do everything in our scope to bring them to the courts to be held accountable, but also supported.
“Some of them are just generally not good parents so need some support … others are tearing their hair out and just cannot control their own children.”
He said there was no evidence demanding financial restitution from parents of young offenders worked given many came from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Mr Drane also further spruiked the police and Youth Justice co-responder program which has been operating in Cairns since last July, having more than 2600 interactions with youths in the first nine months with referrals to multiple agencies and services.
And despite recent frequent use of the Rescue 510 helicopter to track youths in stolen cars, senior police said there remained no case for a dedicated Polair for the region.
“The number of times that we use it just could not justify the permanent allocation of a helicopter up here,” Far North Assistant Commissioner Brett Schafferius said.
Originally published as Key youth justice figures put FNQ’s juvenile offenders on notice
School issues alert after man chases, lures students
A school in Far North Queensland is on high alert following reports a man chased students and attempting to lure them into his car.
‘Grabbed his dogs and ran’: Airbnb guest lucky to escape house fire
A Cairns Airbnb guest was lucky to escape a blaze with his two dogs unscathed after a home was completely gutted by fire, believed be caused by a phone charger. Watch the video.