Kylie Lang: Premier’s pathetic ‘listening’ line to youth crime crisis is not enough

Too many Queenslanders have found out the hard way that youth crime has been allowed to fester and spread like the societal cancer due to a pathetically soft Labor government, writes Kylie Lang.

Premier Steven Miles insists he’s listened to police and his government will put more officers on our streets. The response I have to these two statements is when and how?

Did Mr Miles ignore police while he was deputy premier from May 2020 until December 2023 and had some influence with then premier Annastacia Palaszczuk?

Or is this listening thing recent, perhaps coinciding with Monday’s swearing in of new police commissioner Steve Gollschewski?

Mr Miles might have had some quality time with the top brass and learned about the frustrations of the force while flying to north Queensland – oh wait, the pair travelled in separate taxpayer-funded jets … because why take one when you can take two?

Certainly, as recently as February the Premier seemed tone deaf to officer shortages when he said “we have more police in the field than ever”.

So yes, this listening must be a new thing.

And now he is trying to convince voters that when it comes to the youth crime crisis, he’s on the case.

Premier Steven Miles insists he’s listened to police and the government, but since when is listening enough? Picture Lachie Millard

The disgraceful state of affairs that sees decent folk living in terror as juvenile thugs run amok will be a major, if not the major, issue shaping the outcome of the October 2024 state election.

But telling a weary public this week “I’ve listened to police who tell me they want more boots on the ground” makes it sound like youth crime has appeared out of nowhere, prompting him to spring immediately into action.

Do not fear, Premier Miles is here.

The reality, as too many Queenslanders have found out the hard way, is that youth crime has been allowed to fester and spread like the societal cancer it is because the Labor government has been pathetically soft.

In the years since 2015 when Ms Palaszczuk took over from Campbell Newman – who wasn’t afraid to get tough on anti-social behaviour, including that of bikie gangs – nothing positive has been achieved.

Protesters march on Parliament House last year calling for tougher action on youth crime. Picture: Dan Peled

Things are getting worse, not better.

New government data reveals there’s been a whopping 11.2 per cent increase in Queensland’s crime rate in 2022/23 compared to the year prior, with 11,089 offences committed per 100,000 people.

The number of juvenile offenders has also gone up, with 11,191 unique young criminals in our state – a jump of 5.2 per cent on the previous year.

The rate of break-ins increased by 20 per cent and car theft by 15.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, back at One William Street… Mr Miles has vowed to add hundreds more police officers to Queensland’s frontline.

He says the government will boost the Queensland Police Service by 900 personnel, including 500 sworn officers, by mid-2027.

This is despite its imminent failure to meet a previous, 2020 election promise to recruit 2025 staff by 2025.

Never mind, we’re supposed to trust that we will see hundreds more uniforms on patrol, even though we will have to wait longer still.

Is it any wonder people are turning to vigilantism?

Hundreds of people gathered in Brisbane to protest against youth crime and a voice for the victims in November last year. Picture: Tertius Pickard

On Wednesday, the Voice for Victims lobby group wrote to the Premier about its upcoming Tuesday rally to demand an “immediate effective action plan by government to address Queensland’s broken youth justice system”.

In the letter, a copy of which was sent to me, the group requested to meet the Premier because “recent announcements by government, with respect, do not represent a holistic response to this wicked problem”.

This is true, and increasing police numbers is only one part of a multi-pronged solution, but the question remains: How does the Premier expect to co-opt hundreds of people to sign up for a job that is frustrating at best and deadly at worst?

Attrition is outstripping recruitment.

A November Queensland Auditor-General report noted the number of officers had declined by 202 in 2022/23.

But clutching at proverbial straws as October looms closer, Mr Miles said this week: “We’ll throw everything at preventing and disrupting crime – that starts with having more police than ever before patrolling the streets of Queensland.”

We’re heard it before; it hasn’t happened. Rehashing the rhetoric won’t change a thing. Listening is not enough.

Kylie Lang is Associate Editor of The Courier-Mail

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