Time for Katarina Carroll to step down?

When it is no longer safe to go to a shopping centre for fear of being brutally murdered, the public is justified in questioning whether or not the right people are in power, writes Kylie Lang.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll at Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre after the death of Vyleen White. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Is it time for Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll to step down and let someone else tackle youth crime?

Perhaps not. But things are certainly not getting better under her watch, and the public is justified in questioning whether or not the right people are in power.

When it is no longer safe to go to a shopping centre for fear of being brutally murdered, then we need and deserve answers.

As I wrote yesterday, life is cheap in some countries but until now, Australia wasn’t one of them.

Grappling with the horrific news that 70-year-old Vyleen White was stabbed to death during an alleged carjacking at the Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre in Ipswich on Saturday evening is hard.

Words can’t begin to convey what her loved ones must be going through because even for those of us who never knew this lovely woman, the shock and disgust is palpable.

Vyleen White. Picture: Supplied by her family

After Commissioner Carroll held a press conference at the site on Monday afternoon – in which she promised police would “hunt these people down until we bring them to justice” – one local woman in attendance had this to say:

“Katarina Carroll always feels the urge to come and say hi after these things but nothing ever changes,” Christine Deason said.

“Nobody does a single thing.”

Ms Deason’s views are shared by many who are fed up with tough talk after the fact.

Our politicians are masters at this, including accidental premier Steven Miles and his accidental red carpet predecessor.

Mr Miles posted on social media yesterday: “I visited Redbank Plains this afternoon to pay my respects to Vyleen White. This community is hurting and I want each and every person to know we are standing with you.”

Standing with us, but doing what exactly?

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll lays flowers at the Redbank scene. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Certainly, it is better to have a premier who is not missing in action when tragedies occur – Annastacia Palaszczuk, and this is but one example, took a full week to visit Chinchilla police station after the 2022 ambush which claimed the lives of constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold and bystander Alan Dare.

However, we need more than rhetoric.

Labor has been soft on crime for far too long and, supported by Left-leaning magistrates who let alleged offenders off on bail, it is no surprise whatsoever that juvenile crime has reached crisis point, and then some.

But rather than calling for people to be sacked (I’ll let you off the hook for now, Ms Carroll), we need politicians, police, educators and community leaders to work together to make our neighbourhoods safer.

In an ideal world, families would also be deeply involved as well, however, many of the homes from which violent and troubled kids come from are warzones themselves.

Katarina Carroll cannot implement important change alone – just as it doesn’t fall solely to the Premier.

Until key elements of society work together properly, I fail to see how things can improve.

Short-term, self-serving policies and reactionary rhetoric just don’t cut it.