Youth crime Gold Coast: ‘City has had enough’

City leaders are demanding the state government take action after shock figures revealed the scale of the youth crime crisis gripping the Gold Coast. WHAT DO YOU THINK? VOTE IN OUR POLL >>>

THE youth crime epidemic is worse now than eight months ago when Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a new taskforce to finally get kid crooks off the streets.

Shock police figures this month show more than a dozen juveniles were involved in the theft of vehicles in five days. In Palm Beach alone, 15 cars were taken in a two-week period.

In the nine months to the end of September, Gold Coast police recorded 1881 unlawful use of a motor vehicle offences, well above the 1760 for the same time last year. In 2017, it was 1402.

Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council data shows the 14-to-18 age bracket accounted for more than half of all car thefts between 2005-2020.

A stolen van crashed on the side of a Southport street earlier this month. A 13-year-old and a 14-year-old were charged by police. Picture: Keith Woods.

City leaders say kids are more rampant than ever despite Premier Palaszczuk publicly announcing in February the creation of the Youth Crime Taskforce, led by Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon, and changes to bail laws.

She said at the time “the community expects us to do more and that is exactly what we will do”.

Critics described the taskforce as another gabfest, and the creation of a committee on top of a committee, as the state government had known about the youth crime problem for years.

The public is taking matters into their own hands by tracking down the crooks themselves; fed-up neighbourhoods are spending tens of thousands of dollars to employ their own security guards; and frontline police say they are tired of catching the same young offenders often days apart.

Some young offenders have been caught by police up to 20 times.

The Bulletin asked the Premier and Queensland Police why it had spiralled further out of control and what the taskforce was doing about it.

Queensland Police did not respond.

The Premier’s office said the taskforce was “expected to be on the Gold Coast soon”.

Acting Mayor Donna Gates said offenders appeared to have no fear of the law and Gold Coast residents have “had enough”.

“Clearly, something has to be done, as on face value these offenders appear to have no regard for consequences or the law,” Cr Gates said.

“I strongly believe it rests with the courts as I know how hard our QPS (Queensland Police Service) officers work to bring these offenders to justice.

“These youth have no direction and it appears no parental guidance.

“I understand there are various programs to link the parents more into the lives of these young offenders but hard-working, law-abiding residents have had enough – and rightly so.’’

As part of the February crackdown, Ms Palaszczuk also announced new powers allowing courts to order hardcore offenders aged between 16 and 17 be fitted with GPS trackers.

Those new powers came into effect on May 17. Three months later, the Bulletin reported not one tracker had been issued on the Coast.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard told parliament this month that just one tracker had since been fitted – to a 16-year-old boy in Townsville.

Unlawful use motor vehicle stats

Unlawful use motor vehicle stats

Palm Beach councillor Daphne McDonald said police were “stretched to the limit” dealing with the youth crime wave and called for the state government to do more.

“It’s something that needs to be seriously addressed by the state government,” Cr McDonald said.

“I know that police have tried to rearrange how they attend to call-outs, but it does seem to be getting away from them.

“... Every time you look (at community groups on Facebook), someone seems to have had some kind of vehicle stolen or a home broken into or there’s been a bashing.

“No one on the Gold Coast wants that sort of thing. We don’t want to end up like elsewhere around the world.”

A spokesperson for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the next stage of its youth crime plan would involve “intensive, multiagency case management” and the taskforce was “expected to be on the Gold Coast soon”.

“As a result of the toughest bail laws in the country introduced earlier this year, more young people are being remanded in custody and we are targeting the 10 per cent of offenders who are responsible for almost 50 per cent of the crime,” the spokesperson said.

“The next stage of that plan involves intensive, multiagency case management for the 10 per cent who commit 50 per cent of the crime and the taskforce is expected to be on the Gold Coast soon to engage even further with frontline staff.”

However, Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek said changes to bail laws for young offenders had not gone far enough.

“Some of them who are repeat offenders, they just shouldn’t be given bail, because magistrates tell them to stay home and they just ignore it,” he said.

“Logan offenders broke into the same house in Paradise Waters within a few weeks in the last year, breaking into the same house and stealing cars again.

“Yes, we want to rehabilitate people but there are some who are lost causes who need to be penalised.”

Babyfaced bandits ‘playing a dangerous game’

A PRESTIGE property who had his Audi stolen from an address in Hope Island says kindergarten crooks are playing a “deadly game”.

Mitchell Booth, of Amir Prestige Property Agents, had his car stolen by a 14 and 15-year-old.

Photo of car theft victim Mitchell Booth with his stolen and since returned Audi.
Picture: Richard Gosling

“These kids don’t know whose house or vehicle they are breaking into and it’s a very deadly game to be playing,” Mr Booth said.

“I was in a position where I did what I felt was right by contacting police immediately and will let the courts deal with it.

“However, there’s some nefarious types on the Gold Coast and I fear teenage criminals could face heavier consequences than a slap on the wrist or a jail sentence.

“It’s only a matter of time before one of them is seriously injured or worse.”

After receiving a call to say his Audi was spotted in Pacific Pines, Mr Booth says he conducted a “vigilante”-style pursuit of the car, maintaining phone contact with police.

A Polair helicopter tracked the vehicle to Pimpama on the M1, where the car was dumped.

A story from Mitchell Booth’s Facebook on the day of the Audi theft. Picture: Facebook

Mr Booth says the Gold Coast is “smack-bang” in the middle of a youth crime epidemic and creating a conversation could help change laws.

“If I committed some of the crimes these underage kids have, I’d be looking at a 10-year stretch in jail,” he said.

“People are going to start arming themselves for protection as CCTV and other security measures don’t seem to be enough.

“I’ve got a young family at home so I can understand the fear and frustration for residents.

“They (residents) are spending all this money on security for their own home and they really shouldn’t have to – the problem is out of control.

“We are seeing high-value thefts in high-profile areas.”

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