Burden of dealing with youth crime crisis falls to LNP

Terrifying footage depicts a daughter begging for her father’s life as violent teens armed with weapons bash in their front door in a random robbery It is one of hundreds of youth offences that the LNP has pledged to stop.

Lester Wilkinson and his family still bear the emotional scars inflicted during a terrifying home invasion from August this year.

The 74-year-old, his wife and daughter were asleep in their Middle Ridge home when three teens forced their way through the front door.

Armed with a hammer and golf club, it is alleged the boys threatened to smash in his skull if didn’t hand over the keys to his Mercedes Benz.

Mr Wilkinson’s daughter Maddyson can be heard begging for the thugs to stop in CCTV vision captured by his doorbell camera.

“Please no,” she cries out.

Mr Wilkinson refused to give in to the thug’s demands.

“Everybody always says ‘just give them what they want’ but I said no. This is my house,” he said.

“I was resisting him, refusing him, and he was confused and didn’t know what to do.”

Meanwhile it is alleged another boy took the golf club and destroyed a glass table and several decorative items.

Lester Wilkinson (left) was the victim of a terrifying home invasion in August and responsibility for addressing the youth crime crisis now stands with the newly elected LNP government, and Treasurer-elect David Janetzki.

They fled empty-handed and later allegedly carjacked a man at Jeffery’s Motel in Ruthven Street before fleeing to Goondiwindi.

Two of the boys have been arrested and charged, while the third remains on the run.

Mr Wilkinson said the home invasion had changed him.

“I used to get up at 5am every day and go for a long bike ride but when my alarm sounded on the morning of the attack, it was foggy and thankfully I decided not to go,” he said.

“Since the attack, I have only been on one ride as my daughter is afraid that if I am out riding, someone will come and break-in again,” he said.

“Maddyson wouldn’t stay in the house alone for a long time afterwards and we both went to counselling.”

The family has installed new security screens and extra security cameras.

“Now we have this new routine every night where I have a baseball bat next to the bed, we have a dead bolt across the front door, and all the security screens are key-locked,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“My daughter makes sure I’ve locked and double checked all the doors, then I switch my phone status to away so the security camera will automatically sound a siren if anyone approaches, and she sleeps with the bedroom door open to listen for noises,” he said.

There is a dead bolt on the front door, and Lester runs military-style drills so he is prepared for the next time thieves come knocking.

“Now I have a plan where I get up, grab my weapon, shoes, and head to the front door. I’ve even timed it, it takes 30 seconds,” he said.

Three teen smashed in the door of Lester Wilkinson's Middle Ridge home on August 14, 2024.

The incident is one of many high-profile home invasions that have plagued Queensland in the post-Covid era.

While overall offender numbers are declining, a cohort of Serious Repeat Youth Offenders continue to terrorise the community.

Data from the Queensland parliament shows 39 teens have committed more than 3150 crimes in Toowoomba in the past three years.

One child racked up a staggering 114 charges in Toowoomba in the 12 months to June 30.

The number of Serious Repeat Youth Offenders in Toowoomba has increased 59 per cent, from 22 children in 2020-21 to 35 children in 2023-24.

The LNP put its youth crime policy front and centre of the 2024 election, and it is now up to them to address it.

Toowoomba South MP and Queensland David Janetzki said it was shocking that a small number of youths could cause such carnage across the Garden City.

“Under Labor we’ve seen more and more young people become hardcore repeat offenders,” he said.

“Ending Labor’s crime crisis starts with stopping the pipeline of hardcore youth offenders who don’t fear the law and don’t believe there are consequences for crime,” he said.

The LNP has pledged to establish a $50 million Regional Reset Program that will provide a 24/7 intensive intervention for out-of-control youths.

It has also promised to provide youth offenders, and their families, 52 weeks of support after they are released from detention.

Toowoomba to become one of nine sites across Queensland that will trial the program. It will take youths with high-risk behaviours including substance abuse, aggression or truancy and place them with one to three weeks of intensive intervention.

“The LNP’s Regional Reset Program will reset young lives with the life skills, discipline, psychological support and teamwork to turn them around early,” Mr Janetzki said.

“We must give these kids hope and help to turn towards a brighter future,” he said.

“The focuses will be education, discipline, counselling, training and employment skills, and examples of the types of programs include community volunteering, cultural, skills, adventure and sport.”

Originally published as Burden of dealing with youth crime crisis falls to LNP