Youth centre to open in Logan suburb in bid to cut crime

Logan council is set to open a new youth centre in a suburb labelled one of the state’s most dangerous areas in a bid to tackle crime and support local young people.

Logan Central will get its own youth centre next month.

A southeast Queensland suburb, labelled as being one of the state’s most dangerous, is set to get its own youth centre next month as part of a civic plan to slash crime in the area.

Logan City Council this month ticked off on spending $125,000 a year for three years on a youth centre, slated to open in the heart of Logan Central next month.

The Wilbur Street Youth Centre will be the suburb’s first council-owned facility for those aged between 12 and 24.

It will open next to the council library in the suburb which recorded 522 theft cases last year and a massive 21.18 per cent increase in crime, according to online data from Queensland police.

Based on Queensland Police annual data and population data from the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Logan Central was regarded as a “very unsafe area” by Redsuburbs, an online crime mapping data bank.

Redsuburbs data for Logan Central. Picture: Redsuburbs

The council hoped the new centre would help reduce crime in the area while also offering youth an outlet for a range of activities.

It would include a multifunctional space that went beyond sports, offering a “hangout zone”, indoor multipurpose courts, a quiet room, rehearsal studio, dedicated First Nations space and commercial kitchen.

The centre was expected to set a new standard for youth engagement and community support, with the council to closely monitor its operations and performance of a contracted operator.

Logan councillor Teresa Lane said the funding allocated aligned with its intention to assist the future leaseholder with running costs.

“The idea of the centre is to create a space where kids can go and be kids and participate in group or individual activities free-of-charge to give them alternatives to negative influences and behaviours,” Cr Lane said.

“The Wilbur St Youth centre has the capacity to capture local youth through engaging projects, activities and opportunities.

“I believe a fair number of kids will access the facility and the model used will be vital to assist with good youth crime reduction strategies.

“The program rooms specifically built for the centre include a gaming room, a quiet room, an arts and craft space, kitchen and cooking opportunities, a rehearsal/music room, indoor courts and a hang-out space.

“What programs a future leaseholder may have running from there is a matter for council officers to negotiate as this is now an operational matter rather than a strategic one.

“I have been engaging with community and ethnic leaders on suggestions for programs that might be considered and am happy for those to be included.”

The youth centre will open at Logan Central. Picture: Judith Kerr

This month, the council decided to cover service and utility costs, estimated at an annual $66,000 for the centre, which would create a hub for education, recreation, and social interaction and was designed after consulting local youth.

Logan Central was the focus of a police investigation in January after a male, believed to be in his teens, allegedly exposed himself and threatened a 76-year-old woman, in Civic Pde. No charges have been laid over this incident.

It was also the suburb where a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen on the night of January 13, with police declaring a crime scene at Mayes Ave.

The man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Initial police investigations indicated two other males left the area on bikes.

Investigations are continuing into the incident.