Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pledges to get tough on youth crime

Peter Dutton has pledged to keep the criminal age at 10 and says the sickening trend of spruiking illicit activities on social media would become a crime under a Coalition government.

The sickening trend of spruiking illicit activities on social media would be made a crime under a Coalition push to crack down on dangerous youth behaviour.

Peter Dutton is also vowing to keep the age of criminal responsibility at 10 years, saying kids know they are committing serious offences.

In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun, Mr Dutton blasted Victoria’s bail laws, saying offenders were back out on the street before police have finished their paperwork.

The Opposition Leader, who on Tuesday wrapped up a four-day blitz of Victorian target seats, says if people he met weren’t a victim of crime themselves, they knew a neighbour or family member who had been targeted.

“There is a real frustration from the police when serious crimes have been committed and the offenders aren’t going to jail as a result of it,” he said.

“Police have to be allowed to do their work and not have one hand tied behind their back and it is difficult when the bail laws are allowing the offenders to get it back out on the street before the police have finished their paperwork.”

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton says if you take the trophy away from the criminal, ‘they’re less likely to commit the crime’. Picture: Martin Ollman

A 16-year-old boy was on four separate sets of bail when a stolen car he was allegedly on board mowed down two cyclists on Beach Rd in January.

Graphic Snapchat footage was circulated of the cyclists being hit allegedly for social media clicks.

The Coalition is developing a private members bill that would seek to make it a crime for people to post photos and videos glorifying their offences, as well as strengthen the powers of the eSafety Commissioner.

Mr Dutton said he would urge Anthony Albanese to adopt it because it presented a “huge opportunity” to deter shocking crimes for clicks.

“If you take that trophy away from the criminal, then they’re less likely to commit the crime,” he said.

“A lot of kids now aren’t stealing for food … because they’re impoverished. They’re stealing high-end merchandise, handbags and motor vehicles.

“They’re taking photos of elderly women and people who are scared in their homes.”

Peter Dutton has blasted Victoria’s bail laws. Picture: David Crosling

The Victorian government has committed to raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years this year, and 14 years by 2027.

But Mr Dutton said federal government backing for the change was “weak” and at odds with the community sentiment – which was being burdened by costs of replacing stolen or damaged goods during crime sprees as living costs soar.

“The fact is they are committing adult crimes, people are losing their lives, people are losing their property,” he said.

“There’s a lot of frustration with the lack of early intervention and support to provide kids an option that might see them take a different path instead of a path of a life of crime.”

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said Mr Dutton was simply “echoing what most Victorians feel at the moment”.

“Why are we proceeding with some of these changes when we are seeing some pretty horrific instances,” he said.

“If it doesn’t affect everyone directly, most of us know somebody who has been directly affected.

“People are concerned.”

But Premier Jacinta Allan said she wasn’t interested in listening to “some crass political commentary from Peter from Queensland”.

Ms Allan said community safety was her “number one priority”.

“We have a very, very robust system in place here where we have record numbers of police, more police, more police powers and more tools and resources,” she said.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said he also refused to pay attention to the federal opposition leader’s “loose commentary”.

“We’ve just had hundreds of thousands of people at Taylor Swift concerts … coming in from overseas and interstate to enjoy what Melbourne has to offer,” he said.

He said cybercrime was best dealt with at a federal level.

Victorian Attorney General Jaclyn Symes said the opposition leader should stay out of state matters.

“I don’t think that I particularly want to take lectures from an individual who has not only demonised our multicultural community but tried to tell Victorians that you should be too scared to go out for dinner,” she said.

Mr Dutton visited the federal electorates of Chisholm, McEwan, Higgins, Flinders and Dunkley – where he was out campaigning with Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy ahead of the March 2 by-election.

Asked if the Liberals could steal the seat from Labor, Mr Dutton said: “I think we can get close, but it’s a 6.3 per cent swing, which is massive”.

He said the Coalition would await the findings of the Auditor General’s probe of Labor’s $2bn commitment for contentious Suburban Rail Loop project.

Mr Dutton did not weigh in on the defamation battle between state Liberal leader John Pesutto and expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming.

But he did back Mr Pesutto’s decision to withdraw his party’s support for treaty saying it was the right thing to do because a majority of Victorians voted against constitutional change.

Mr Dutton said money spent on the referendum could have been spent on infrastructure projects in Victoria.