‘Existing capability’: QPS defends disbanding of gang taskforce

Premier Steven Miles has taken the unprecedented step of inviting the Police Commissioner to personally brief state cabinet on plans to tackle the state’s spiralling crime crisis.

More young offenders could be fitted with GPS trackers and police given expanded powers to randomly search people for knives as the Queensland government scrambles to crack down on youth crime.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Premier Steven Miles has taken the unprecedented step of inviting Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll to personally brief state cabinet on Monday.

It is understood Ms Carroll will use the session to reiterate her calls for an expansion of police wanding powers, and to urge the state government to revisit the use of GPS tracking devices.

A high-ranking government source confirmed on Sunday night Ms Carroll’s appearance was no coincidence, with the government ready to respond to police requests as the youth crime crisis firms as the most critical issue to address ahead of two crucial by-elections next month and the October state election.

Mr Miles said on Friday: “If we need to do more then we will do more.

“I’ve consistently said that we will take the advice of the police and make sure they have the laws and the resources that they need.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the government was always open to new approaches and strategies.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Those comments came as Ms Carroll told staff on Friday she would always provide frank and fearless advice to government to ask for resources and law changes amid mounting pressure over how Queensland is dealing with the state’s youth crime crisis.

Top cops meanwhile defended the disbanding of a taskforce set up to tackle violent youth “drill” rap gangs.

On Sunday, the Queensland Police Service defended the disbanding of Taskforce Uniform Knot, with Organised Crime Gangs Group Detective Superintendent Troy Pukallus revealing it had been absorbed into day-to-day practices.

Det Supt Pukallus said the taskforce focused on community engagement that prevented further victimisation.

“As part of that officers engaged with family members and associates of criminal street gangs and attended more than 100 residences,” he said.

“That co-ordination framework that was established under the taskforce was transitioned into what we call a joint organised crime gangs group and regional co-ordination process which continues right until today.

“Daily we monitor the activities and intelligence holdings we receive in relation to criminal street gangs.”

Organised Crime Gangs Group Detective Superintendent Troy Pukallus. Picture: Liam Kidston

Det Supt Pukallus said taskforces were not a “panacea for an enforcement perspective in addressing an emerging issue or a particular escalation in crime”.

“The difference between bikies and criminal street gangs is that bikies have a structure, street gangs don’t...they are quite unsophisticated, they are opportunistic, quite ad hoc,” he said.

“The challenge in policing street gangs is that they are essentially a group of people who have a subculture which is based on a common set of beliefs, a culture – we see that manifest in music and videos – drill music.”

Asked why senior police had called for a new taskforce, if Taskforce Uniform Knot had simply been absorbed into daily operations, Det Supt Pukallus said: “it was news to me that our senior police would do that”.

“As I said we have got competing priorities and demands on our frontline – establishing a taskforce is quite resource demanding. We have got existing capability and expertise in these areas’’.

It comes after The Sunday Mail revealed one of the men charged over a terrifying home invasion was allegedly linked to a Brisbane “drill” rap gang.

High-profile drug kingpin Paul Luu’s family was at the centre of the terrifying home invasion and abduction on Friday afternoon which left a female relative in hospital and her bloody handprint on the front door of a Forest Lake home.

The crime scene at Brisbane’s Forest Lake. Picture: Liam Kidston

Two men identified as Erick Barry Rock, 18, and Patriss Tawor, 20, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with kidnapping, extortion, torture, assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, armed robbery, dangerous conduct with a weapon, possess shortened firearms, enter dwelling with intent, enter dwelling with intent while armed, and wilful damage.

Rock’s matter was adjourned to Monday for a bail application while Tawor will next appear in court on February 19.

On Sunday afternoon a third man was assisting police while a fourth man remained on the run.

Det Supt Pukallus said the OCGG were focused on the offending, not the gang.

He said some intelligences suggested that in other states members of street gangs had been recruited by outlaw motorcycle gangs, used for “menial tasks” or to “commit offences on behalf of gangs without actually being recruited”.

Opposition police spokesman and former detective Dan Purdie said he was on the frontline in 2017 when youth justice laws were “watered down”.

“They also watered down the organised crime gang laws of this state, and now we have a youth gang crisis,” he said.

Opposition police spokesman Dan Purdie

“I saw first-hand how this tipped the balance of power back in the hands of organised criminal gangs. It tipped the balance of power back in favour of young, repeat, violent offenders.

“And it’s no wonder with weaker youth justice laws, weaker gang laws, fewer police, we now have a youth gang crisis in Queensland.”

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli pledged there would be fewer victims of crime under an LNP government, and said he intended to act this calendar year if he was elected Premier in October.

“If they won’t act, we will,” he said.

“We will rewrite the Youth Justice Act, and embed consequences for actions.”

“We will put the rights of the victim ahead of the rights of the offender.”

Labor minister Bart Mellish said: “Any instance of youth crime is one instance too many.

“Any victim caught up in an instance of crime, my heart goes out to them, and we need to ensure we’re supporting victims throughout these processes.

“Regardless of how these crimes occur we need to make sure we’re working co-operatively with police to lessen instances going forward and working on solutions.”