Youth crime scourge demands more

Youth crime is an issue which has plagued the state in recent years, and caused fear for many Queenslanders going about their daily lives. This is not the Queensland we used to know, writes the editor. It is not the one we should accept.

Queenslanders have this week been shocked by another violent youth crime, where a life has been taken. After Emma Lovell was killed in a home invasion on Boxing Day, a 17-year-old is now alleged to have killed a 43-year-old Wilston man with a machete-like knife just metres from his home early on Sunday.

Youth crime is an issue which has plagued the state in recent years, been a thorn in the side of the state government, and caused fear for many Queenslanders going about their daily lives. This is not the Queensland we used to know. It is not the one we should accept.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took a step in the right direction in December, announcing a range of harsher penalties and sentencing requirements. But there is a concerning lack of acceptance in her language that suggests she understands that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

She said yesterday: “They’re not unique to Queensland … these tragedies happen elsewhere around the country.”

But we do have a problem in this state. And that problem is above and beyond what is being seen elsewhere.

Cold hard facts, presented by the Productivity Commission, show there are proportionately more kids in detention in Queensland than any other state or territory bar the Northern Territory – and that number is going up, not down.

The rate at which youths who are sentenced to detention, probation and suspended sentences and find themselves before a court again within 12 months is also higher in Queensland than in any other state of territory.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took a step in the right direction in December, announcing a range of harsher penalties and sentencing requirements. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

This is not a problem that can be solved by simply putting more police officers on the beat.

On Sunday, Wilston man David George Connolly was allegedly stabbed to death by a 17-year-old as he walked through the well-to-do suburb, with police nearby even picking up the youth before the crime had come to their attention.

It is welcome news the Premier is willing to have the strong youth legislation ready to go when parliament resumes on February 21, committing to see it implemented as a priority. It would be better if she were willing to bite the bullet and recall parliament immediately to get the ball rolling on the legislation the government says it has been working on.

But that legislation is not the holistic answer that’s needed.

It is highly unlikely that any 15-year-olds who are running around at 1am are thinking about the maximum sentence for stealing a car or whether they face a tougher penalty for uploading their crimes on to TikTok.

A broader approach needs to be considered, taking in not just police resourcing and the court system, but more wraparound services for youths leaving detention to intervene and help prevent them from offending again.

Looking into the social causes leading youths turning to crime also needs to be addressed.

This is not something that will be fixed with a knee-jerk reaction. It certainly won’t be fixed by denying there is an issue in the first place.

The Premier on Monday said she acknowledged that community safety was paramount. It’s time she backed up that talk with strong action, as well as a longer-term plan to address the underlying issues.