Qld Police data reveal ‘astonishing’ reoffending rates committed by youth
Queensland Police figures have revealed the rate of reoffending youth aged between 10 and 17 while on bail. SUBSCRIBE TO READ THE FIGURES
Gold Coast
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QUEENSLAND Police figures reveal that 351 youth offenders aged between 10 and 17 committed more than 20 offences while on bail, with a further 707 carrying out between 10-20 offences.
These offences occurred across the state during a two-and-a-half-year period.
Southport MP Rob Molhoek asked the Police Minister Mark Ryan for the number of children who reoffended while out on bail from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020.
Mr Ryan said it was important to note that youths who had offended in more than one calendar year would be represented once for each year they’ve offended, indicating the figures include instances where multiple offenders would be counted multiple times.
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He added that “the data didn’t represent an individual occurrence count, as an individual may have offended on a single occasion, committing multiple offences at one time”.
It comes as Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington and Bonny MP Sam O’Connor visited Arundel Tavern on Friday to reinforce how they would “crack down on juvenile crime on the Gold Coast”.
This includes bringing back breach of bail as an offence, extra resources for police and the establishment of mandatory detention for all young offenders on a third conviction.
“Assaults on the Gold Coast are up by 127 per cent and there’s been more than 400 incidences in the past 12 months alone of juveniles being attacked on our streets,” she said.
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“We will make sure that if you do the crime you will do the time, we will make sure that victims aren’t put before criminals.”
Mrs Frecklington spoke of Jack Beasley, a 17-year-old who was stabbed to death in Surfers Paradise in December last year, saying “no parent should ever lose a child, it is an unbearable tragedy”.
Jack’s parents Belinda and Brett said they had spoken to Mrs Frecklington and “hopefully” they had listened to their concerns. Through tears Mrs Beasley said: “Jack is a victim and he has no rights at all and these juveniles get everything”.
“Maybe if there were some changes and the victims had some rights, then it (Jack’s death) would be easier to handle, but at the moment, Jack has no rights.”
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Mr Beasley said he wanted police to have powers to check youths for knives using metal-detecting wands, “hopefully we will get it with this (LNP) government”.
“These juveniles do the crime but are not doing the time and that needs to change,” he said.
“Jack got life.”
Mr Beasley said through the Jack Beasley Foundation he wanted to educate child as young as 10 on the dangers and long-term effects carrying a knife could have.
Speaking on youth reoffending rates, Mrs Frecklington said: “Weak youth bail laws are putting safety at risk on the Gold Coast and repeat offenders have no respect for Labor’s laws, the police and the community”.
She said her government would introduce 24/7 monitoring of youth offenders on bail by the youth justice department.
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