‘It’s bad behaviour, they’re not bad kids’: Behind the scenes with new unit trying to reduce Gold Coast youth crime

Kids facing robbery charges. Girls escaping violence. Families desperate for help. We take you behind-the-scenes with the new team patrolling shopping centres, train stations and homes of troubled young offenders. READ THE STORY

A MIX of teenagers and other commuters stream through the gates of the Helensvale train station as they make their way to the bus stop or into the adjoining shopping centre.

It’s Thursday afternoon – late shopping night – and Mercedes Whalley, a youth justice worker, and Detective Senior Constable Craig Andrew patrol the area where teens often congregate.

Sitting down at the bus stop are two teens who come to the attention of Ms Whalley. She makes conversation with one of them, commenting on his pristine Nike shoes.

When he goes quiet, she strikes up a conversation with the teen next to him, who is clutching a cigarette.

The first boy is asked if he’s facing any charges.

“Robbery,” he replies.

It’s a dated charge and he’s not in breach of any bail ­orders.

The second teen steps away for a smoke – as Sen-Constable Andrew checks his background. He’s facing undisclosed charges and is subject to a curfew.

“Make sure you get him home before 9pm,” Constable Andrew tells the other teen.

The matter-of-fact, more casual interaction is not uncommon as part of a new ­approach to engaging with youth and reducing juvenile crime.

Co-responder ride along

It revolves around youth workers now joining the beat with police who ditch the uniform in a new partnership aimed at addressing the issue.

The co-responder team is working around the clock on the Gold Coast targeting the city’s list of 20 to 30 high-risk juvenile offenders and emerging youths.

And the Bulletin can reveal some parents of teens are actively reaching out to the unit, dobbing on their children who are breaching their bail, or those suspected of committing crimes.

“The community is safer having us on the road after hours,” Ms Whalley explains, telling the Bulletin about the importance of early intervention.

It’s bad behaviour, they’re not bad kids, she says.

The Bulletin was given ­behind-the-scenes access to a night on the beat with the co-responder team last Thursday as it patrolled shopping venues, transport hubs, and houses of known problem young people.

Officers have ditched the uniform to “blend in” and “break down that first barrier” when engaging with the children to hopefully change “their point of view of police officers”.

“The majority of the kids have dealt with police officers because they’ve been in trouble, and that’s their experience,” says Constable Andrew, the co-ordinator of the co-responder team.

“Even though I’m a police officer, I’m not there to investigate, or arrest them.”

In a walk-through of the Helensvale shopping centre, a young boy riding his scooter through the complex comes to the attention of police.

It doesn’t take long for Constable Andrew to catch up with the boy outside and take down his details.

“Am I in trouble?” the boy asks, seemingly terrified.

Constable Andrew puts him at ease, explaining his role. He takes down his details and gives him a warning about riding the scooter inside, before the boy initiates a handshake and goes on.

The team also does a walk-through of Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach where a couple is camping close to the water’s edge.

During winter, a group of teens from various locations across the southeast slept rough here and used the public barbecues for warmth.

The co-responder model was announced by the state government in 2020 as part of its five-point plan in addressing youth crime amid growing frustration about recidivist offenders tearing communities apart.

The Gold Coast unit was established in April and joined existing teams scattered across the state.

The team engages with vulnerable and at-risk young people in an attempt to reduce crime and provide support and assistance, at times diverting them to support services. It also provides support to their families.

The unit has enabled an ­increased sharing of information between authorities.

On the Gold Coast the team has interacted with 495 youths and 742 parents and guardians.

Constable Andrew says he believes the unit is having an effect because it is able to ­engage with teens and turn them away from crime by offering referrals to different services.

Police say the unit is able to engage with children who previously could not be reached.

“There was one boy that was doing a lot of break and enters and related crime. We got him into a construction course … and he’s just graduated from that … that’s had a big impact on him,” Constable Andrew says.

The unit was also effective in enforcing bail and reducing offences committed by roaming children, he says.

Teenagers from other areas of southeast Queensland are not coming to the Gold Coast to run amok as much, having tired of getting picked up and dropped outside the city again by the co-responder team.

Parents and carers of teens are also staying in contact with the teams, using the 24/7 phone service, and at times dobbing in the location or actions of their children who they have spotted across social media, or reporting bail breaches.

Ms Whalley says one of the difficult aspects of the job was seeing the sense of hopelessness among some parents.

“I’m finding there are a lot of great parents that are just pulling out their hair not sure how to support their kids away from an anti-social lifestyle,” Ms Whalley says

“I think there’s a general assumption all the children that are offending come from terrible households. That’s not necessarily true.”

She said teens offended for a range of reasons, whether it be for fun, blinded by their actions, to find connection with a peer group that they are accepted by, or whether it be a “trauma response” to take their mind off what’s happening at home.

Ms Whalley says while hesitant at first, youths have warmed to the inclusion of police officers with youth justice workers – and can already spot the car they drive.

‘A lot of help’

A CARING sister to troubled teens says she relies heavily on a new co-responder service that targets high-risk offenders.

“I’ve called them quite a lot for help. They talk me through what this one (sibling) does and what the other one does, and talks me through the steps on what to do, and reassures me that I’m doing the right thing,” she said.

“They’re always there when I need (them) or when the kids need them they’re always a phone call or a visit away.”

The sister’s sibling is 13 and has been in trouble for stealing cars.

“Driving is fun,” the teen tells the Bulletin.

The teen was living with their grandmother, who has since passed away.

She now lives with her uncle and has a “lot of freedom” and “no rules”.

The house was one visited by the co-responder team – a mix of police out of uniform and youth workers – during Thursday night patrols, for a third day in a row.

When they went inside, several teens scattered but re-emerged when they discovered that it was only an engagement check.

All of the teens were known to police.

The unit had tried to check in on the house the previous two nights but without luck.

The sister said her siblings had responded well to the unit.

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Originally published as ‘It’s bad behaviour, they’re not bad kids’: Behind the scenes with new unit trying to reduce Gold Coast youth crime