Rampaging teens cost up to $2.2 million for damage to the Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres

RAMPAGING teenagers have left Victorian taxpayers with a bill of up to $2.2 million for damage to the Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres.

• More riots at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre
• Four teens accused of trashing Malmsbury to be sent back
• Youths held unauthorised pool party before violent rampage
• $10m bill for Melbourne’s youth jail riots

RAMPAGING teenagers have left Victorian taxpayers with a bill of up to $2.2 million for damage to the Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres.

The cost includes up to $1 million in damage caused on November 12, when youths ransacked units in Parkville, destroying walls and beds and attempted to start a fire, prompting riot police to storm the facility.

The vandals trashed 60 beds during the siege, drastically reducing space at the facility.

Alarmingly, Victoria’s youth justice facilities have now reached capacity.

In the bid to send a strong message to youth detainees, this week the Andrews Government pushed to have four 18-year-olds — who rioted at the Malmsbury facility — remanded in an adult prison on charges of criminal damage.

However, a magistrate refused the bid and sent the men back to the youth centre.

In another attempt to quell the number of disturbances, Youth Affairs Minister Jenny Mikakos has promised to introduce new laws “that will see tougher consequences, in terms of both sentencing and parole, for offenders who assault our dedicated staff”.

Youth criminals are becoming increasingly violent inside youth justice, as well as out in the community, Ms Mikakos has previously warned.

The official damage bill does not include the added costs of fortifying the facilities in case of future sieges.

It comes as secret documents reveal under-siege youth justice staff are being forced to intervene in attacks and restrain violent teens more than three times a week on average, with incidences on the rise.

A top-secret report by former NSW Juvenile Justice director Peter Muir, commissioned by the Youth Affairs Minister Jenny Mikakos and obtained by the Herald Sun showed during 2014/15 staff were forced to restrain youths 162 times over an 11-month period. Staff were assaulted on 57 occasions.

Mr Muir warned the incidents documented were the “tip of the iceberg’’ with situations only recorded “where an actual injury occurs’’.

Restraints, assaults, verbal abuse and throwing of objects were also recorded scores of times in Malmsbury between December 2014 and May 2015.

Departmental figures seen by the Herald Sun showed incidents, injuries and near misses have continued to rise, spiking 38 per cent last financial year.

The rising violence came months before APEX and other youth gangs emerged publicly.

Opposition spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said there had now been at least 30 major incidents at facilities since the Labor government took over in 2014. “It is clear to all that Minister Jenny Mikakos is hopelessly out of her depth and just lurching from one crisis to another,’’ she said.

Youth justice continues to be the thorn in the side of the government, prompting Premier Daniel Andrews to unveil sweeping reforms accompanied with $32 million in funding last year. Changes include making it easier to prosecute violent youths in adult courts.