‘This is just the start’: Mundingburra MP Janelle Poole defends youth crime reforms amid crime surge in Townsville
A Townsville MP has defended the LNP’s youth crime reforms as frustration grows among residents over the pace of change following a spike in car thefts and violent incidents across the city. Read the latest crime updates here.
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A Townsville MP has defended the LNP’s youth crime reforms as frustration grows among residents over the slow pace of change after a recent surge in car thefts and violent crimes.
Mundingburra MP, Janelle Poole, recently addressed the brewing criticism as the city faced another wave of youth crime.
On Tuesday morning, residents across Townsville woke to find that at least five vehicles had been stolen overnight. These included a white BMW 5X from Mundingburra, a red Mitsubishi Outlander from Mount Louisa, a white Haval H6 from Rosslea, a silver Hyundai Tucson from Idalia, and a white Toyota LandCruiser from Aitkenvale.
Even heavy rain failed to deter offenders, with the stolen vehicles spotted across multiple locations throughout the day.
This latest crime spree follows a chaotic few days last week when car thieves were allegedly robbing children at knifepoint, ramming police vehicles, and fleeing the scene after crashing their stolen rides into a pole.
The incidents have sparked outrage on social media, with many residents voicing disappointment over the current pace of change under the LNP’s Adult Crime, Adult Time reforms.
“Wasn’t the new government supposed to crack down on teen crime?” one resident posted.
“Nothing has changed,” said another.
In response to community frustration, Janelle Poole reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling youth crime.
“The Crisafulli LNP Government are committed to reducing the number of victims and restoring safety for the people of Townsville,” she said.
“We promised to introduce our first tranche of law changes by Christmas, and we delivered on that promise.
“Many of the offenders who have been charged this week will proceed through the judicial system and will be sentenced under the new ‘Adult Crime, Adult Time,’ legislation.”
Ms Poole also emphasised that the reforms — which came into force over the Christmas holidays — are only the beginning.
“This is just the start of reform, with further offences to be considered by an expert legal panel, of which expressions of interest for panel members have just opened,” she said.
She said the government’s broader strategy also includes increased police resources, tougher consequences for offenders, and early intervention programs aimed at rehabilitation.
Ms Poole, a former police officer, also addressed questions about a serious staffing shortage plaguing the Far North’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT).
This comes after the Queensland Police Union’s northern region representative, Peter Thomas, warned that the elite squad was operating with less than half its required staffing, potentially putting the safety of police and the public at risk.
“The deployment of SERT, the most highly trained tactical police we have in this state, is a matter specifically for the Queensland Police Service,” Ms Poole said.
“However, SERT continue to have the capability to respond to any major incident across the length and breadth of Queensland.”
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Originally published as ‘This is just the start’: Mundingburra MP Janelle Poole defends youth crime reforms amid crime surge in Townsville
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