‘Revolving door’: Frustrated police discuss complexities of Qld youth crime in new documentary

One former Queensland youth offender opens up in a new documentary on how a police officer was the catalyst for change in his life, leading him back to school and looking for work. Watch the video

Frustrated Queensland police have discussed the underlying “complexities” of policing youth crime, with the issue described as a “revolving door” in a new documentary.

Produced by the Queensland Police Service, the 30-minute film, Policing Youth Offenders, documents the realities of policing over a 10-month period amid the current youth crime epidemic. 

Featuring representatives from partner agencies such as the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs (DCYJMA), the documentary covers adverse childhood experience (ACE), intergenerational trauma, transitional programs, and real-life stories of offenders reshaping their future.

Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll said: “Youth crime is a challenging and complex issue for society which we know cannot be resolved overnight.

A new documentary revealing how police are partnering with experts to divert youth away from a life of crime has been released in Queensland.

“While the documentary confronts some of the difficulties we are faced with, it also showcases amazing outcomes police, government agencies and community leaders are achieving through their work with at-risk young people.”

In the film, a former youth offender retells how one interaction with a police officer was the catalyst for change in his life.

“The road I was heading on was a very hard one … I was getting in trouble with police,” the youth said.

He said the Youth Co-Responder Team referred him to programs and helped him feel safe to engage with others.

A new documentary revealing how police are partnering with experts to divert youth away from a life of crime has been released in Queensland.

“I started going back to school … looking for a job,” he said.

Youth Crime Taskforce Commander Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini said Policing Youth Offenders illustrated the holistic approach of the taskforce.

“While community safety is a priority in everything we do, we know we cannot simply arrest our way out of youth crime issues,” Mr Marchesini said.

“We must continue to focus on early intervention and engagement to prevent the dangerous cycle of reoffending.”

A new documentary revealing how police are partnering with experts to divert youth away from a life of crime has been released in Queensland.

QPS Youth Justice Unit Detective Inspector Grant Ralston said: “I’ve been in the police now for a long time and I’ve seen a change in the confidence of some young people out on the street committing offences … young people have become more street smart than a number of years ago.”

Inspector Ralston described youth offending as a “revolving door”.

Meanwhile, QPS Assistant Commissioner and former head of Youth Justice Taskforce Cheryl Scanlon said the behaviour of serious repeat offenders had escalated.

“You see more powerful motor vehicles and you see social media and the mainstream media playing a role in elevating that and also providing the medium for these young people to gain notoriety which actually drives some of our issues,” she said.