Super youth crime task force understaffed by half, Opposition police spokesman Jack Batty labels it ‘unacceptable’

A special task force that was formed to tackle South Australia’s rising youth crime crisis had only half of its full complement of permanent staff for the first two months of operation.

Half of the permanent positions in a special police taskforce, created to crack down on South Australia’s escalating youth crime crisis, remained vacant for almost two months after the squad was launched.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has provided written advice to a state parliamentary committee confirming that 16 of the 33 positions in the Youth and Street Gangs Task Force remained unfilled as at April 2 this year, despite the team becoming operational on February 6 this year.

The vacancies included a detective senior sergeant position, 12 general duties roles and three detective brevet sergeant posts.

The task force merged Operation Mandrake, which investigated youth Indigenous offenders, and Operation Meld, which targeted Adelaide’s gang war involving people of African background, to create a super task force.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Stevens also told the committee SA Police submitted to the government its proposal to merge Operations Mandrake and Meld in April 2024 – 10 months before it was established.

In updated figures provided to The Advertiser, SA Police says seven vacancies remained.

However, it says all vacant positions since the taskforce became operational either had been, or continued to be, temporarily covered by officers from other areas while permanent recruits were sought.

The Opposition has questioned why the task force, which was announced via press releases from both SA Police and the State Government on February 5, did not have a full complement of permanent staff from day one.

It has also raised concerns about the shuffling of officers.

“Where positions are being backfilled, it means police are being taken elsewhere from the beat,” Liberal police spokesman Jack Batty said.

“We simply don’t have enough police to tackle youth crime”.

Mr Batty said it was “unacceptable and, frankly, embarrassing that...half the positions (had) not been filled” and he accused the government of being “all announcement and no action when it comes to law and order”.

Opposition police spokesman Jack Batty. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

A police spokesperson said selection processes were underway to permanently fill the remaining vacancies.

“There are not, nor have there been, any empty chairs in the Youth and Street Gangs Taskforce,” they said.

“In any workplace there is always a turnover of staff and positions are termed ‘vacant’’ until they are permanently filled by the appropriate selection process.”

Police Minister Stephen Mullighan said the government’s $82 million investment in 189 extra police security officers to replace sworn officers in areas including custody management, 70 frontline officers were returning to the beat.

“This has enabled the creation of a new Youth and Street Gangs Task Force, which will see 33 officers dedicated to tackling the scourge of youth crime,” he said.

“The facts are that the Liberals imposed $50 million of cuts to SAPOL when they were in government, and in contrast we have boosted police funding by more than $300 million, we have increased recruitment, we have more sworn officers on the beat and we are investing in the equipment and facilities police need to continue protecting the community.”

Police Minister Stephen Mullighan. Picture Dean Martin

The Advertiser reported in January that youth crime rates in SA had skyrocketed 140 per cent in the past six years.

Freedom of Information documents showed the number of young offenders, aged 10 to 17 years, had risen from 6938 in 2018-19 to 16,710 in 2023-24.

One 14-year-old amassed 131 charges in the 2023-24 financial year.

Originally published as Super youth crime task force understaffed by half, Opposition police spokesman Jack Batty labels it ‘unacceptable’