Mayor Tom Tate calls on the Palaszczuk Government to address the Gold Coast’s worsening youth crime problem

Juvenile car thefts, break-ins and brazen bashings – “enough is enough”, according to Mayor Tom Tate, who has called on the Palaszczuk government to take action. VOTE IN THE POLL

Mayor Tom Tate has called for a state government-led summit to address the city’s youth crime issues.

Frustrated by a spree of recent alleged incidents involving young offenders, the mayor issued a list of solutions he wanted to see the Palaszczuk government put in place to make the city safer.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says a state government-led summit needs to be held to address the city’s ongoing youth crime issues. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

But both the Premier and Queensland’s Minister for Police are defending how their government has handled the issue.

They include:

* Holding a community hall meeting with one agenda item: youth crime;

* Amend legislation to enforce the application of GPS trackers for these known offenders and the introduction of minimum mandatory sentencing.

* Increase police numbers on the coast – permanently;

* Amend the Bail Act to ensure youth offenders, brought before the courts, cannot be released back on to the streets;

* Invest in specific in-prison courses and support for youth (once detained) to help them deal with the complex social/mental health issues that may be a precursor to their criminal behaviour.

“They need to hold a community hall-style meeting for all Gold Coast residents,’’ the Mayor said.

A boy sticks his middle finger up from the back of a police car after a Kia Sportage alleged to be stolen struck a Ford Falcon ute in 2021.

“The place will be packed.

“It’s not enough for anyone to say ‘we have the answers’ because the answers aren’t working. When is enough going to be enough?”

When asked if the Premier would be on board with the initiative, a spokesperson from her office said the Premier “has asked relevant government ministers to meet with Mayor Tate to discuss these matters”.

“Community safety always comes first. That’s why Queensland has the toughest youth justice laws in the nation, including the presumption against bail which has resulted in more offenders being locked up for longer,” the spokesperson said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

“It’s why the government has delivered more than 100 extra police officers to the Gold Coast since coming into office. And it’s why the government is making the biggest investment in police personnel in more than three decades, an investment that is delivering more than 2,000 extra personnel, including a minimum of 150 extra police officers to each region across the state, including the region that encompasses the Gold Coast.

“Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon leads the Youth Justice Taskforce which is overseeing a raft of measures targeting young offenders, including joint youth justice/police co-responder teams and a multi-agency approach aimed at breaking the cycle of offending.”

Queensland Minister for Police Mark Ryan said: “The Palaszczuk Government takes community safety across Queensland, and the Gold Coast, seriously – our actions prove that.

“Earlier this year we opened a new police station at Pimpama – an investment of over $6 million to keep the Gold Coast community safe,” he said.

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

“This state-of-the-art policing facility is home to 36 police officers – all with the common goal to protect and serve the South Eastern Police Region. But our commitment to community safety doesn’t stop there.

We have committed to 2025 more police personnel to be stationed all across the state on a permanent basis by 2025. We have committed to at least 150 police officers across the South East Region, which encompasses the Gold Coast and Logan.”

Mr Ryan said a “record” $3bn police budget had been invested in and Queensland had the “toughest youth justice bail laws in the country.”

“When our presumption against bail laws were introduced in 2020-2021, we saw a 5.2% decrease in the number of unique youth offenders in Queensland, compared to the year prior.

“The government will continue to work with the community and other levels of government on any initiatives which are evidence-based and focused on prioritising community safety.

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