Juvenile crime Cairns: Crime rally targets inaction by governments to stem youth offending
Ineffectual programs and little action on Cairns’ suburban crime scourge has been labelled as “insanity” as more than 100 protesters are expected to attend a rally on Friday.
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ORGANISERS of a Cairns rally against a juvenile crime plague say a groundswell of frustration has swept the city and the message is loud and clear: “We’ve had enough.”
More than 100 protesters are expected at the office of Cairns MP Michael Healy on Friday demanding his Labor government take accountability for a failed youth justice system they claim is responsible for “wreaking havoc on our lives”.
Cairns, driven by a recidivist youth offender crime wave, was on target to surpass a record number of car thefts in 2022 with an average of 3.8 cars stolen a day last month.
Crime and Justice Action Group leader Aaron McLeod – who met with the sister of fatal car crash victim Bradley Smith on Wednesday – said the state government had failed to properly address concerns from residents over a two-year campaign and the community deserved better.
“They’ve had enough, we’ve had enough, and the people are frustrated,” he said.
“Those people who feel as though there is still some hope and some belief that the system still works, then they’ll come out and demonstrate and spread their voices.
“But there are also a lot of people in the community, and this is part of the suffering, who have given up.
“They just don’t believe the government can be trusted at all.”
The 14-year-old driver charged with manslaughter and other offences over Monday’s early morning fatal car crash, appeared in the Cairns Children’s Court on Wednesday.
The crime rally will begin at 4.30pm on Friday, with Cairns Police working with organisers to ensure no traffic interruptions will be caused on Spence Street.
In 2021, between Gordonvale and the Northern Beaches, an average of 65.1 cars were knocked off a month and a staggering 782 vehicles for the year.
A Queensland Police spokesman said they acknowledged the increase in offences, and were monitoring crime trends to “react and adapt our policing strategies accordingly”.
“We remain committed to reducing property crime and have solved the majority of (stolen vehicle) offences and charged those responsible,” he said.
“We are actively targeting youth offenders, including those stealing cars, and are getting good results.”
Cairns resident Jodie McLeod said the region was “fed up” with inaction and programs that were not reducing the suburban crime scourge.
“There needs to be something different done,” she said.
“What has been happening is clearly not working. Why keep bumping your gums or banging your head against something that doesn’t work?
“It’s the first sign of insanity.”
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Originally published as Juvenile crime Cairns: Crime rally targets inaction by governments to stem youth offending
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