Editorial: We all deserve to feel safe on streets

Queensland’s police force is failing. Or rather, citizens increasingly feel the cops can no longer protect us from the bad guys, writes the editor.

Criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy

While the roles of any police force are many and varied – from controlling crowds to enforcing road rules and fighting crime – it is fair to say that its primary responsibility is to ensure citizens feel safe.

By that measure alone Queensland’s police force is failing. Or more accurately, citizens increasingly feel the cops can no longer protect us from the bad guys.

The 2022-23 QPS annual report shows that, for the first time in five years, most Queenslanders do not feel safe walking home at night.

And more than two-thirds of them feel uneasy when travelling on public transport at night.

Just as alarmingly, public faith in the QPS is falling, with measures of trust and honesty taking a dip in recent years.

Criminologist and former cop Terry Goldsworthy says there is a simple factor behind the survey results.

“Perceptions of crime are just as important as the real crime and sometimes perceptions don’t match reality,” Mr Goldsworthy said.

“In this case I think the perceptions are based on reality, that crime has risen substantially.

“We’re seeing less of it cleared and solved.”

Mr Goldsworthy’s remarks stand in stark contrast to comments from some Labor MPs earlier this year, who sought to paint the crime crisis – particularly regarding youth crime – as some sort of invention of the media.

The best example occurred in August when Member for Capalaba Don Brown took to Facebook to declare the state’s youth crime crisis a “media beat-up”.

It’s not a beat up, it’s a very real crime crisis, a fact the people of Queensland are acutely aware of.

It has forced Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to make some very un-Labor-like decisions, including rushing though legislation to enable police watch houses and adult jails to act as youth detention centres, and the announcement last week of a $250 million youth remand facility at Wacol.

And after initially refusing to meet with a victims of crime delegation, the Premier finally took the meeting before announcing a range of measures to support victims, promising $200 million over five years.

With an election due next October, Labor has realised that the youth crime crisis is real and will possibly be the key issue of the campaign.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli certainly knows this, with the LNP hammering the government on the issue at every opportunity.

The Opposition may take up the issue again today, especially with Police Minister Mark Ryan using the tried and trusted excuse of Covid for the falling public confidence in the police force.

“It plays out a bit of Covid activity, where obviously there was a lot of engagement around community safety and complying with Covid directions,” Mr Ryan said.

A strange excuse for a survey of the 2022-23 financial year.

The people of Queensland want to have confidence in the QPS.

They want to feel safe walking alone at night or travelling on public transport.

There is a feeling among the community that our police are fighting the war on crime with one hand tied behind their backs and are lacking the support of the government and the judiciary.

All three need to be working together before the citizens of Queensland will feel safe to walk the streets again.

ISRAEL HAS EVERY RIGHT TO HIT BACK

The Prime Minister got it right and his Foreign Minister got it wrong in responding to the shocking attack on Israel by Hamas.

Reacting on Saturday night as the first pictures of the destruction caused by the rocket and ground attacks on Israeli civilians, foreign minister Penny Wong wrote on X: “Australia unequivocally condemns the attacks on Israel by Hamas including indiscriminate rocket fire on cities and civilians.

“We call for these attacks to stop and recognise Israel’s right to defend itself. Australia urges the exercise of restraint and protection of civilian lives.”

It is that call for restraint that has raised eyebrows.

Whatever your opinions on Arab-Israeli relations (and there is much sympathy for the Palestinian cause in Australia, particularly within the ALP), there is no doubt who the aggressor is here – an aggressor that followed up indiscriminate rocket strikes with the savage kidnapping and murder of civilians.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recognised this.

“Of course people are worried about escalation, but Israel has the right to defend itself and it will be doing so,” he said.

“This is an attack on Israel by Hamas that has no precedent.”

Israel now has the right to strike back hard. And they will.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here