Youth crime rates: How Qld regions compare under new laws

Six months after the introduction of the state government’s tough new laws for serious youth offenders, the results are in.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: Supplied

Queensland has recorded a 17.5 per cent statewide drop in serious repeat youth offenders in the six months following the introduction of the government’s Making Queensland Safer laws, according to figures released by the Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support.

The daily average number of serious repeat youth offenders fell from 464 to 383 between December last year to May 31, compared to the same period the year before.

The drop has been recorded across every youth justice region, with some areas seeing declines of more than a third.

The largest reduction occurred in the Sunshine Coast and Central Queensland region, which recorded a 36.7 per cent drop.

Brisbane and Moreton Bay followed with a 24.2 per cent fall, while the South West and South East regions recorded 19.1 and 17.2 per cent reductions respectively.

But the smallest decrease was the North region, which includes Townsville, of 7.1 per cent, equating to six fewer juvenile repeat offenders.

Premier David Crisafulli said the early results were a sign the government’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” approach was working as a deterrent.

“This is an important step in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go to turn the table on Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis and make our community safer,” he said.

Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber said the government’s reforms had begun to unwind what she described as a decade of soft-on-crime policies.

“This data shows our Making Queensland Safer laws are starting to turn the tide on youth crime,” she said.

“Alongside our early intervention and rehabilitation programs, we will restore safety and reduce the number of victims of crime.”

The figures are drawn from the Serious Repeat Offender Index, an internal operational tool that tracks the number of high-risk youth offenders known to authorities.

While the government says it provides an important measure of progress, the index does not reflect the total number of youth crimes, their severity, or victim numbers.

Last Wednesday Ms Gerber attended a roundtable in Townsville to develop a Victims Advocates Service, a city which according to the Premier months ago had been “held hostage” by a small group of juveniles.

The government had promised it would throw more resources into North Queensland’s crime issues until it was solved.

Ms Gerber reiterated the LNP’s Making Queensland Safer laws would still need more time.

“We know that Townsville is very different to what South East Queensland might be experiencing,” she said.

Queensland Police Service data shows a six per cent decrease in unlawful entries in June in Townsville compared to the previous year, but a 17 per cent increase in stolen car charges.

Originally published as Youth crime rates: How Qld regions compare under new laws