Opposition leader says Government must reinstate this criminal offence for youth reoffenders

The Opposition leader has blasted the State Government, suggesting the ‘lunatic Left’ are to blame for Queensland’s youth crime crisis.

Opposition Leader, David Crisafulli has demanded breach of bail laws be reintroduced as an offence as the Queensland Government struggles to tackle youth crime.
Mr Crisafulli said the state is in the middle of a youth crime crisis and that Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had barely addressed the issue.
“When I speak to coppers, one thing they would love is to restore breach of bail as an offence” he told 4BC.
“That way, cops can intercept these repeat offenders before they steal a car … or before they get the axe and run into someone’s house.”
“At the moment it is not an offence in the youth justice act, and that is dead wrong.”

Parliament

Mr Crisafulli highlighted that bail should be seen as a privilege and not a right, that way Magistrates can set conditions on youth offenders.

“We have said repeatedly to the government make this change, swallow your pride, and we’ll be the first to commend you,” he said.

“But for some reason, the lunatic Left will not allow it and as a result, innocent people are being caught up with the revolving door of youth crime.”
Mr Crisafulli said that the same ‘little lunatics’ are committing these crimes and underscored the high rate of some repeat offenders.

“In the last year, we’ve had 92 offenders who have reoffended more than 30 times. More than 30! One of them, 200 times.”

Mr Crisafulli said while he’ll defend the right for someone to be offered a second chance, but the ‘revolving door’ of youth crime is owing to little or no consequences.
“I’m all for a second chance, and I’ll defend the right for someone to have a second chance, but a 30th? A 50th?” he said.

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“At what point does society say, ‘Look, I’m sorry mate, you’ve exhausted your second chance, and the only place for you is to not be connected to society.”
When asked if police resources were being stretched because of Covid, and the sizable police presence at the border to NSW, Mr Crisafulli said more police is only one part of the jigsaw puzzle.
“Second is laws that back them up, if you have a system where there are no consequences for action, then the revolving door continues,” he said.