Taskforce Guardian visits Rockhampton to target youth crime

Sixty youths have been arrested and charged as a rapid response police taskforce cracks down on juvenile property offenders in Rockhampton.

About 60 youths across the Rockhampton region have been charged with, a combined, more than 100 offences after a week-long task force targeting youth crime.

Taskforce Guardian, a rapid response police taskforce, was established in August to target serious repeat juvenile offenders and provide immediate support to local communities across the state.

Across the last week the taskforce has been in Rockhampton to join local specialist and general duties officers to engage with juvenile property offenders and support community safety initiatives.

Capricorn Crime Group Detective Acting Inspector Luke Peachey said police have arrested 60 youths and charged them with 190 offences with the taskforce in town.

Capricorn Crime Group Detective Acting Inspector Luke Peachey and Youth Crime Taskforce Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini.

Det Act Insp Peachey said some of those arrested included repeat offenders and a range of different offences.

“The results of that team were outstanding and they worked very closely with our property and our youth co-responder and that’s for a nine day deployment,” he said.

“As a result we believe we’ve made a significant impact on youth offending, and only through this last week since they have deployed, we have seen some really positive results in regards to the rate of offending over the last week.”

Det Act Insp Peachey said during the operation, police arrested a 13 and 14 after they filmed themselves committing an armed robbery.

“Obviously there’s what we call our ‘volume crime’, which includes break and enters, unlawful use of motor vehicles and unlawful entry of motor vehicles, they’re virtually our bread and butter for our property team … so there were a lot of offenders picked up on that and others breaching their bail,” he said.

“Lastly, and more seriously, on the last day of their deployment they were able to successfully pick up a 13 and 14 year old who both committed a serious armed robbery with violence and in this instance the actual juveniles had videoed the offence.

“With the help of task force guardian and our local detectives, we were able to prosecute them within a few hours of the offence being committed and put them before the courts.”

Det Act Insp Peachey said, in the case of offending in the last week, the best “prevention” and “disruption” to crime was to arrest and charge the offenders.

He said police were also “very proactive” in the space of social media where youth offenders were posting footage of their actions.

About 60 youths across the Rockhampton region have been charged with, a combined, more than 100 offences after a week-long task force targeting youth crime.

“The fact that there were 60 people charged at different times with 190 offences, speaks volumes of the work the team did,” he said.

“It’s pleasing in one regard that we were able to get through that workload, but disappointing in another that there was that amount.”

Youth Crime Taskforce Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini the taskforce was looking at a number of things while they were in the region.

“I’ve been travelling quite a bit across the state, there’s a number of priorities we’re looking at, obviously community safety is always going to be a number one priority for us at the Queensland Police Service and other agencies that work with us,” he said.

“Breaking that cycle of reoffending is very important as it prevents further crime, more importantly though is early intervention.

“In Rockhampton we’re not just talking with police, but it’s also going out into community and talking with members of the community that are actively involved with this problem.”

About 60 youths across the Rockhampton region have been charged with, a combined, more than 100 offences after a week-long task force targeting youth crime.

The acting assistant commissioner said the team had spoken with the Our Space team at Stockland and the flexible learning centre.

“We know that there are social issues and we know, for example, there are children who don’t feel safe in their own homes and we find many of those children are on the street and interacting with people who may be lured into committing crime,” he said.

“What we’re actually seeing is how community can become involved but also the connectivity with what you have.

“Every community in Queensland has some amazing resources and some amazing people … that’s why the key thing’s been getting on the ground and talking to community.”

The task force’s visit comes after Opposition Leader David Crisafulli visited Rockhampton, where he spoke with concerned locals about youth crime.

“There is no doubt the youth crime crisis is impacting people everyday in every part of the state I go,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“To hear the stories of people in Central Queensland and about what it’s doing to them, what it’s doing to their sense of safety at home, to their insurance premiums, to their ability to sleep well at night and go an earn an honest living, just shows you how bad things are.”

There have been concerned locals and politicians holding crime meetings after a group of frustrated residents rallied outside a Norman Gardens property which was believed to be the home of an offender.