Caboolture, Cairns watch houses top youth detention list

Shocking youth watch house detention data for April has revealed Caboolture and Cairns top the statewide list for detaining youth. The data comes amid calls for more action against serious repeat juvenile offenders. CHECK THE BUSIEST WATCH HOUSES

Shadow Minister for Youth Justice Laura Gerber said the data showed Queensland was in the grip of a youth crime crisis affecting the entire state and blamed “weak laws and fewer police. Picture: Canva

Caboolture has emerged as one of the leading areas in southeast Queensland for detaining youth offenders in police watch houses, new police data shows.

There were 78 detentions recorded for the watch house, north of Brisbane, across the month of April.

That was second only to Cairns watch house where there were 112 detentions.

Townsville recorded 66 instances of detention.

Officers at Caboolture had to deal with 37 more detentions than Brisbane, where there were 41 instances in April.

Ipswich watch house had the seventh-highest number of youth detentions in April, with 27 cases.

There were 12 youth detentions recorded at Pine Rivers and Richlands watch houses and 11 at Redcliffe.

Logan had nine, Cleveland had six and Sandgate and Wynnum watch houses detained three youths each over the month.

Police minister Mark Ryan released the figures last week with the LNP claiming stays at many watch houses were due to detention facilities being swamped and at capacity.

The startling April data followed last week’s damning Auditor-General’s report into youth crime which found that at-capacity detention centres were linked to longer stays at watch houses.

Challenges outlined in the report included a lack of capacity in many detention centres (which are separate to police watch houses) and the over-representation of First Nations youth in the system.

Cameras inside the Caboolture Watch House. Picture: News

In his report Reducing Serious Youth Crime released on Friday, Auditor-General Brendan Worrall said the government had started converting the Caboolture facility into a specialist watch house for children, which possibly accounted for its higher youth detention numbers in April.

Caboolture watch house underwent a massive $14.7 million overhaul in 2021 with state-of-the-art equipment including cameras installed after the former police station was demolished.

The report also said the government had committed to building two new youth detention centres at Woodford and Cairns, both expected to be operational in 2026–27.

A youth remand facility is also being built at Wacol and is expected to open this year with an additional 76 beds.

Data released last week shows which watch houses youths were detained in during April. Picture: Courier-Mail file

Twelve recommendations were made with Mr Worrall claiming the government had acted to address youth crime but “more needs to be done to reduce crime by serious repeat offenders”.

Youth Justice Department Deputy Director-General Michael Drane said the Caboolture watch house started operating dedicated services for young people in December, which accounted for that facility’s high youth statistics in April.

“Young people awaiting admission to an available bed at a YDC will remain in the custody of the QPS at the hub with essential support and services provided including mental health support, education, and family, cultural and legal visits as needed,” Mr Drane said.

“Most young people are held in watch houses for a very short period. Those held for longer periods are there because a court has determined they are an unacceptable risk to themselves or the community.”

A typical example of a single-bed Australian watch house. Picture: Cairns Post.

Shadow Minister for Youth Justice Laura Gerber said the data showed Queensland was in the grip of a youth crime crisis affecting the entire state and blamed “weak laws and fewer police”.

She said there was a generation of “hardcore youth criminals” holding communities hostage.

“Youth reoffending has skyrocketed and the average number of serious repeat offenders has increased by 64 per cent,” she said.

She said if the LNP won the election in October, it would roll out a new youth justice policy called Making Queensland Safer Laws, which included amending the Youth Justice Act to remove detention as a last resort.

Members of the LNP, including former Bowman federal MP Andrew Laming, have also supported “relocation detention” where youths convicted of offences are sent to remote outback properties until they secure a qualification or hold down a full-time job.

Originally published as Caboolture, Cairns watch houses top youth detention list