One Nation, Torin O’Brien host community crime forum in Rockhampton

One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts and Torin O’Brien will host a public meeting in Rockhampton to address what they say is a ‘surge in violent youth crime’.

One Nation’s Senator Malcolm Roberts will be in Rockhampton on Saturday to co-host a community forum on crime with former candidate for the party, Torin O’Brien.

Mr O’Brien, now a social media ‘hero’, led a rally earlier this month after his Facebook post calling for community action against the “crime wave” in Rockhampton went viral.

More than 100 people banded together to attend homes believed to be residences of “regular offenders”.

Police charged two of the attendees for trespassing following the gatherings and they are due to face court next month.

Mr O’Brien has since met with police to discuss ways to address crime rates in the region.

It is understood he also had a meeting scheduled with Rockhampton MP Barry O’Rourke but it was later cancelled.

Meanwhile his private Facebook group, which had swelled to thousands of members, has been taken down by Facebook, citing it breached “community guidelines”.

The Rockhampton community took matters into their own hands against crime on Sunday, led by Torin O'Brien.

An event labelled “Let’s Tackle the Crime Wave Together” will be held at Rocky Sports Club on Saturday from noon.

Flyers advertising the event have been dropped into letterboxes across Rockhampton with more than 170 people registering to attend.

“Queensland is experiencing a surge in violent youth crime, causing tensions to escalate among concerned households,” the event registration describes.

“Frustrated with the lack of action, community members have taken it upon themselves to address this issue, with former One Nation candidate, Torin O’Brien, leading the charge in working with police to bring local criminals to justice.

“Torin O'Brien's activities have drawn attention to the growing problem of youth crime and sparked a conversation about the role of law enforcement and the criminal justice system in Queensland.

“Let’s look at Mr O’Brien’s actions and see how they have brought much-needed attention to an urgent societal issue.”