Police tackle youth crime with new Project Street CRED on Gold Coast

Gold Coast police are doing things a little differently to take on youth crime across the region.

GOLD Coast Police have spoken to about 200 homeless and vulnerable children 800 times as part of a pioneering project aimed at driving down youth crime.

Minister for Police Mark Ryan said the success of the trial of Project Street CRED — which aims to better integrate the juveniles into the community — has resulted in an extra $120,000 funding to push the project forward.

But it will not expand beyond the Gold Coast for now, despite Mr Ryan singing the project’s praises and exclaiming: “This is what modern policing looks like”.

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Project Street CRED involves officers assigning time each week to directly engage with the homeless and vulnerable at known hotspots and hangouts.

Police Inspector Owen Hortz said young people engaged by the project have moved back home, into residential care facilities or received referrals for help.

Minister Ryan boarded a tram from Broadbeach alongside police yesterday to check out how the project worked.

Police Inspector Owen Hortz, Meaghan Scanlon MP and Minister for Police Mark Ryan talking about the Gold Coast’s pioneering Street CRED program. Picture: Jerad Williams

He said the multi-agency initiative, which began in August last year, was “making a difference in young people’s lives”.

“These are young people who may be engaging in anti-social behaviour or on the pathway to the criminal justice system,” he said.

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“There are young people who are now positively contributing to their communities, not engaging in anti-social behaviour and as a result we all win.

“We all have a safer community.”

Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon said having people “out on the frontline” made it much easier for vulnerable youth to access services and engage with their community.