MPs react to Bowen boy’s crash death: ‘A young kid has perished because of inaction’
Burdekin MP Dale Last and Mirani MP Stephen Andrew have reacted to the death of a Bowen boy in a stolen car.
Mackay
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mackay. Followed categories will be added to My News.
State representatives have reacted to yet another tragedy involving youths in an alleged stolen car, demanding the government crackdown harder on juvenile crime.
A Bowen boy died at the scene of the horrific crash on Wednesday while members of the public helped his 14-year-old passenger out of the wreck, with the vehicle allegedly stolen from Sarina Tuesday night.
Burdekin MP Dale Last said the tragedy came almost a year to the day a 14-year-old boy allegedly driving a stolen vehicle crashed it, killing four other teenagers, in Townsville.
“Unfortunately we’re going to see a continuation of these types of incidents until such time as the state Labor government starts making the tough decisions to deal with juvenile crime in this state,” the LNP police spokesman said.
“Queensland is the grip of a youth crime epidemic and the minister continues to bury his head in the sand regarding the severity of this issue at a time when Queenslanders are demanding action.”
Mr Last called for the reintroduction of breach of bail and more work to be done in the supervision and rehabilitation of youth offenders on their release from detention centres.
Mirani MP Stephen Andrew has demanded a thorough investigation into how the teenagers had access to the car and how they were able to drive from Sarina to Bowen without being stopped.
“A young kid has perished because of inaction,” Mr Andrew said.
“The government has got to take control. It’s obviously just not working.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan said he was not in a position to provide details about how the Bowen tragedy happened.
“What I can say is that my thoughts are with the family and friends of the young person whose life has been cut tragically short,” Mr Ryan said.
“I am advised police investigations into this matter are ongoing.
“Under this government police have been given tougher laws and more resources to keep the community safe.”
Subscriber benefits:
How to activate your free Courier-Mail subscription
How to get Daily Mercury news straight to your inbox
Your dose of Harry Bruce cartoons
Originally published as MPs react to Bowen boy’s crash death: ‘A young kid has perished because of inaction’
100+ Names: Top performers from AFLQ Schools Cup finals
The AFLQ Schools Cup state finals have come to a close after a number of nail biting matches. Discover the star players from every single division now.
HAVE YOUR SAY: The top 20 AFL Mackay women’s footballers ranked
We’ve picked out 20 of the best women’s footballers Mackay has to offer. Now it’s up to you to decide who is the best of the best, have your say in our POLL.