Queensland youth crims charged over social media boasts
Youth criminals in Far North Queensland are boasting about their crimes on social media at a rate of almost one offender per day, the region’s top cop says.
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Youth criminals in Far North Queensland are boasting about their crimes on social media at a rate of almost one offender per day, the region’s top cop says.
Queensland Police’s Digital Intelligence and Community Engagement team has helped detectives identify and charge 144 young people with offences since new “boast and post” laws were introduced last year.
Data shows more than a quarter of those are from Far North Queensland, with 45 offenders from Cairns and surrounds despite the region making up just five per cent of the state’s population.
Cairns Acting Superintendent Kevin Goan said the videos involve youths bragging after a robbery or theft with some teen offenders live streaming their offences.
“We have seen videos of young people entering houses and streaming very violent conduct with some house occupants,” Superintendent Goan said.
“They are quickly identified by our Digital Intelligence and Community Engagement team, who then notify us and we are able to use local knowledge to work out where this happens and go out straight away to stop it.”
A Queensland Police spokesperson said through intelligence-driven strategies, DICE officers target offenders seeking notoriety as they “boast and post” or live stream their crimes.
“We get near daily reports out of the DICE team,” Superintendent Goan added.
“Our DICE team is such they are a 24/7 intel team that look for live streaming, that is having significant success, which is enabling us to prevent and proactively address crime.
“Previously we would see it online, but we would see it retrospectively.”
The state government is considering introducing new laws it says are aimed to stop the prevalence and rapid spread of material online.
The Community Safety Bill would empower the Police Commissioner to authorise a police officer or staff member to give removal notices.
It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed young criminals use social media to broadcast their crimes in Townsville.
Dozens of dedicated pages were found on Instagram – including public and private pages – with several videos from inside stolen cars, speeding and posing beside the vehicles.
Townsville Detective Acting Inspector Dave Miles said there was a group of about 15 to 20 juveniles among different circles in Townsville who posted every crime they committed to social media.
He said there was also a hierarchy within the groups which determine how they post to social media, saying it was a regular occurrence in North Queensland.
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Originally published as Queensland youth crims charged over social media boasts
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