Man’s beat up face provides insight into Tasmania’s crime rate

A man reveals the tragic reason his face is bruised and battered, providing an insight into living on “Australia’s most dangerous island”.

A man’s raw and honest account of his troubled life has provided an insight into living on “Australia’s most dangerous island”.

Jeremy, bruised and battered with bloodshot eyes, was interviewed by YouTube star Jamie Zhu for a documentary on life in Tasmania.

The young dad from Glenorchy in Hobart explained his bruised face came after he was arrested for assaulting a police officer and placed into a prison cell.

“I got stripped naked and was left in the cell with nothing, so in protest I started smashing my head against the wall,” he said.

Jeremy was interviewed by Jamie Zhu for his YouTube documentary called ‘I Went To Australia’s Most Dangerous Island’.

Jeremy then candidly opened up about his troubled life.

“I had a pretty good upbringing, but then I started smoking weed pretty heavily in high school,” he said, adding that he became an alcoholic, addicted to the drug ice and ending up on the streets of Hobart.

When asked by Zhu what he could say to his younger self, Jeremy got visibly upset.

“Don’t put that needle in your arm. Don’t get on ice and don’t sell your stuff, Jeremy. Wake up to yourself,” he said.

“Stay, do better at school. I wish I could go back to school, you know?”

“Young Jeremy, listen to your father, listen to the advice he gave you – which was stay away from hard drugs.”

A recent report has found Hobart to be the drug capital of the nation, with the highest estimated average capital city consumption of MDMA, cannabis, nicotine, oxycodone and fentanyl.

Criminal offences in Tasmania have risen by 26 per cent. Picture: Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management

While ABS shows that Tasmania has some of the lowest crime rates in Australia, recent data from Tasmania Police has shown criminal offences have risen by 26 per cent over a 12 month period.

“While we don’t want to see crime rates increasing, it’s not unexpected given the continued recovery from COVID-19 restrictions from previous years, in addition to Tasmania’s ongoing population growth,” Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar said.

“Tasmania continues to be a very safe place to live.”

Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar. Picture: Linda Higginson

Zhu interviewed others in the documentary that disagreed – instead calling Tasmania a “dangerous place.”

“In the past few years it has been quite a dangerous place. In specific suburbs you don’t want to walk around in the night,” a man said. “Try to avoid a lot of areas,” he continued.

“The young ones are getting a bit too much, just running wild,” said another.

Youth offenders make up 11 per cent of the total offenders proceeded against by police in 2021-2022.

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar says Tasmania Police have a “statewide focus on youth crime and increased co-ordination between areas regarding youth crime and at-risk youth.”

He says Tasmania police aims to engage with youth at the earliest opportunities to reduce possible future offences.

“In many categories, the increase in crime is influenced by a small number of repeat offenders and our police are committed to identifying these criminals and holding them accountable,” Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said.

The video, which had almost 30,000 views in just 24 hours, struck a chord with many people who were touched by Jeremy and his vulnerability.

“My heart goes out to you Jeremy,” said one viewer. “If you happen to read this we are all perfectly imperfect. You’re not a bad person and can get through what you’re going through.”

Another said: “The thing about these kids is that by themselves they are scared little boys. They need a group to feel strong. It’s very sad.”

“Jeremy you have got this brother, knowing who you are is half the battle,” another comment read.

“If you are reading this Jeremy, you’ve got this! You are strong, never give up. Keep going,” posted another person.