Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll says same youth criminals arrested ‘time and time again’

A small cohort of young offenders are being arrested repeatedly, the Police Commissioner has admitted, leading to calls for the courts to ‘do their job’. Read what she had to say.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has said a “small cohort” is responsible for the majority of youth crime on the Gold Coast and she expected that the courts would keep them in detention to keep the community safe.

Speaking at Pimpama, Ms Carroll defended the response of police to the youth crime ­crisis, saying officers were doing their job and catching ­offenders.

“Yes it is that small cohort and yes they are offending more and actually using a lot more violence,” Commissioner Carroll said.

“The QPS does an amazing job in immediately capturing these people and putting them before the courts.

“It’s about getting the balance right. I expect that the courts actually keep some of these people in. Because we know that this small cohort is committing most of the crime.

“It’s actually unacceptable and it is frustrating.

“... Some children just need to be kept in detention so that the streets are safe.”

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll with Police Minister Mark Ryan. Picture: Steve Pohlner.

Commissioner Carroll said police were repeatedly arresting the same young offenders.

“I think there is a frustration definitely because we are talking about some children that we have arrested time and time and time again,” she said.

“But it is a vexed and complex issue. Because we know that these children come from extraordinarily complex backgrounds.

“We know that some of the programs that we are using for these children are successful.

“But we also know that some of these children, irrespective of what we do, there is very little success.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan said Queensland had tough laws to deal with youth crime and called on the courts to use them.

“I think the frustration extends to many people in the community, not just the police service,” Minister Ryan said.

“That’s why the government has strengthened laws and increased sanctions for this sort of criminal offending.

“The message is quite clear: the courts have all the tools in their toolbox. They just have to use them.”

Bulletin reports have detailed how police have faced burnout and rosters have been stretched as they work to deal with a record number of call-outs on the Gold Coast.

Commissioner Carroll said extra overtime was being offered to officers to help deal with demand, while Minister Ryan said he believed sufficient resources were available to police.

“The advice I’ve got is there are over 1000 officers on the Gold Coast and they operate on a borderless policing model, which means irrespective of your home station anyone stationed on the Gold Coast is available to respond to a particular call to service,” he said.

“The Commissioner has also outlined why she’s put extra overtime on and that is to support policing action across the Gold Coast and across Queensland, and all the efforts we’re doing around recruitment.

“ … The government is boosting its commitment to the QPS, the police service is recruiting, and the police service is doing nimble and agile things like providing extra overtime to support policing demand.”