‘Generation of untouchables’: Courts attacked as crime ramps up

Both the Police Minister and our top cop have challenged courts to “use all the tools in their toolbox” to crack down on brazen and violent crims, as the opposition accuses the state of being in denial about the threat and frequency of crime.

• Editor’s view: Stop the excuses

Queensland’s top cop has made the extraordinary admission that “we can’t arrest our way out of” the state’s crime crisis, while police minister Mark Ryan has challenged the courts to do their job.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Picture: David Clark

A day after a number of former career cops claimed criminals were now so brazen and violent that they ran at police instead of away from them, Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said there was no easy answer to the scourge of violent offenders.

“That is the concern,” she said.

“People say this cohort don’t respect (police), but this cohort don’t respect anyone,” she said.

“It’s not just the police, it’s how they treat the public, it’s how they treat each other.”

She also said it was up to the courts, the laws and all parts of society to address the problem.

“It is incredibly complex … you just can’t arrest your way out of this,” she said.

“One of the frustrations is that we are constantly putting these people before the courts.”

Her comments were echoed by Mr Ryan, who fronted a media conference with the commissioner on the Gold Coast on Monday.

“The frustration extends to many people in the community, not just the police service and that’s why the government has strengthened laws and increased criminal sanctions,” he said.

“The courts have all the tools in their toolbox – they just have to use them.

“The laws are the toughest in the nation and the courts should be using them.”

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan. Picture: David Clark

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the discussion of criminals not fearing police was an “emotional issue” and stood by the government’s youth justice reforms to tackle criminal behaviour.

When asked if she wanted criminals to be afraid of police she responded: “that’s a bit of an emotional issue”.

“The police are out there doing their best and I think it’s a good reminder for criminals out there that if you get caught, you will do the time,” she said.

The Premier said brazen violence and disregard for the law was a concern and referenced legislation approving the expansion of knife detection operations to seize dangerous weapons, known as Jack’s Law, as evidence the government was addressing the issue.

“Of course that is concerning when you’re seeing more young people carrying dangerous weapons, including knives, across our suburbs and into precincts,” she said.

“That’s very concerning and that is why we acted very quickly in introducing Jack’s Law (after stabbing murder victim Jack Beasley) which actually expands those wanding powers to detect those dangerous knives and everything on people across public transport and into safe night out precincts.”

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli. Picture: David Clark

But opposition leader David Crisafulli said the State government was in denial about the threat and frequency of crime.

“The only people refusing to admit the state of lawlessness are the lawmakers in this state,” he said.

“There was a time when young crims ran from the law – in Queensland today they run at it.

“They’re prepared to put their faces online, they have no fear because they are a generation of untouchables.”

Mr Crisafulli said the increase in the number of repeat offenders showed new laws introduced by the government are not delivering results

“We will continue to put our solutions on the table, it starts with consequences for actions,” he said.

“We must unshackle the judiciary and remove detention as a last resort and we have to get serious about early intervention.

“We’ve got to turn kids around before they have a gun, before they’re holding a knife, before they’re ramming a police car.”

Their comments came after leading crime academic Terry Goldsworthy, an associate professor at Bond University on the Gold Coast after a career of almost 30 years with the Queensland Police Service, said hardened crims were now fearless of cops and were driving Queensland into “a state of lawlessness”.

He cited a change in approach on drug crime and police pursuits as examples of how crims now lived without fear of consequences.

Mr Ryan took exception with Mr Goldsworthy’s claims that Queensland was sending mixed signals by “decriminalising” drug use.

“It is still an offence, it is just a different option for police to engage in and ultimately if people persist in their behaviour, they end up before the courts and have to face further criminal sanctions,” he said.

Commissioner Carroll also disputed Dr Goldsworthy’s claims about drug use being decriminalised.

“The evidence clearly shows you that if someone has a minor amount of something you should give them the opportunity to get education … the evidence shows that that is actually very successful,” she said.

“But if you don’t do that and you don’t change, it’s still a criminal offence.”

Dr Goldsworthy said that argument was more about semantics and said there were more important issues at stake.

“The public has had enough of the behaviour that is impacting on their quality of life and safety,” he said.

“I don’t expect government ministers to come out and attack me personally on matters that are of real concern to the community.”