Editorial: Welcome approach to youth crime

For far too long Queenslanders have been anxious about youth crime while this government has paid far too little attention, but it seems this may be changing, writes the editor.

For far too long Queenslanders have been anxious about youth crime while this government has paid far too little attention.

Former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will be remembered for this failure, and her apparent inability to take the issue seriously and do anything meaningful to curb it. We have been exhausted by hollow promises, and repeatedly told our state has the toughest youth crime laws in the nation.

This is untrue, and besides, laws are only useful when applied with appropriate force.

Yesterday, however, we had a glimpse of brighter days to come, that things might be changing. How refreshing.

Acting Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime, Andrew Massingham, not only declared community safety the No.1 priority in 2024 but also admitted the youth crime crisis “hasn’t improved”.

Mr Massingham said he wanted serious repeat offenders held to account each and every day and, where necessary, would object to their bail.

Community support for this approach is clear.

Last week The Courier-Mail’s sentiment survey revealed almost 95 per cent of residents wanted harsher penalties for juveniles.

Queenslanders also felt less safe in their homes than they did three years ago, with almost 80 per cent either a victim of crime or knowing someone who had been.

Mr Massingham’s assurance the issue would be top priority is welcome not only for residents, but also for police officers themselves who have expressed frustration with a broken justice and bail system leaving them to collar the same kids again and again.

He said if young people kept reoffending, police would continue to put them before the courts “not just for what they did today but what they did last week and the week before that and the week before that”.

And if, after objecting to bail, an adverse decision was made, then police would immediately seek independent legal advice to put the matter back in court for revision.

One of the most reassuring statements from the Acting Assistant Commissioner was that although youth crime was described as complex, he wouldn’t be “using that as an excuse”.

He acknowledged while some offenders could be helped by early intervention programs such as youth co-responder and Project Booyah and PCYCs, others could not. Drawing a line between the youths police think they can and cannot help is central to positive change and best practice approaches.

A key method going forward is scrutinising social media.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, social media is the main reason serious violent offenders commit crimes, according to Mr Massingham.

It is not to attain property for personal benefit, it is to livestream and obtain notoriety.

Tech analysts have now been brought in to identify young people “on the fringe” and who could be helped to divert from a life of crime.

Knowing our top brass is taking youth crime seriously is important, but equally so the current Premier appears to be genuinely leaning into the issue.

In contrast to his predecessor, Steven Miles is positioning himself as a person who cares and will act.

With youth crime identified as a key decider for voters in the October election, this is political practicality. It was only in August that victims of some of the state’s most shocking juvenile crimes marched on Parliament House to demand immediate action but Ms Palaszczuk failed to front them, instead staying in her office.

Yesterday, Mr Miles met with representatives of the Voice for Victims advocacy group and said they agreed on several things, including “the need to see progress happen more quickly”.

Queenslanders have waited long enough for firm action on youth crime. The time for rhetoric is long gone. We need, and deserve, fresh approaches that work.