State MP Nick Dametto says ADF personnel should be used to stop Townsville youth crime

An NQ MP is calling for Defence to step in to fight youth crime, but the veterans say soldiers shouldn’t be playing ‘pretend police’.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto wants to see collaboration between Australian Defence Force and local police in Townsville to stop youth crime. Picture: Chris Burns.

Soldiers should be deployed as an option to stop youth crime in Townsville’s streets through the use of their technology and advanced espionage skills, according to State MP Nick Dametto.

He stopped short of calling it “martial law” but rather a legislative response that was used during disaster management, and he believed there were many personnel part of the Townsville community that really wanted to help address the issue.

Herbert MP and veteran Phillip Thompson strongly opposed the suggestion and said that Defence personnel did not want to perform as “pretend police”.

But Mr Dametto said there were all sorts of skills that the Australian Defence Force could offer to Queensland Police Service to stop crime spikes in the area.

These skills could include communications, “espionage style skill-sets”, digital and physical reconnaissance, patrolling areas and providing roadblocks, and offering specialist vehicles and equipment.

He has written a letter to Defence Minister Richard Marles requesting the military step in to help.

Federal MP Phillip Thompson speaks at a recent anti-crime rally outside Qld Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.

“You can’t continue to keep throwing civilian style vehicles in front of stolen vehicles which kids are using as a weapon right now with complete disregard for their lives in the people they’re about to run into,” Mr Dameto said.

“If I was a QPS officer right now and the only thing I had between me and a stolen vehicle trying to ram me was a civilian vehicle, unarmoured and unresourced to actually deal with such an impact, I’d be pretty scared.

“I’d be questioning why I’m getting into that car on a nightly basis.”

Shadow Police Minister Dale Last said that using defence force personnel for domestic issues was “simply not on”. Picture: Chris Burns.

He said a police helicopter being used in Townsville “seems like a waste of money” but at the same time, he did not oppose additional resources to the area if local police wanted it.

When asked if using ADF resources to target crime would also be a waste of money, Mr Dametto said, “we’ve got a lot of ADF resources and a lot of ADF staff being paid on a daily basis, even while they’re not deployed.

“You’ve got people out there that are actually training on a daily basis for various things just like this.”

Mr Thompson opposed the suggestion and said the solution required legislative change that emphasised consequences.

“I can understand why it’s a popular idea and makes a good headline but it’s not a viable or practical solution,” Mr Thompson said.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of Diggers about this idea over the past 12 months and while they’re as fed up with crime as the rest of us, they don’t want to play ‘pretend police’ because the Queensland Government can’t do its job.

“Taking them out of defence duties would also put our national security at risk which is just going to create more issues in the long term.”

Shadow Police Minister Dale Last said using ADF personnel for domestic issues was “simply not on”.

“They are there to protect our country, they are there to be deployed at a moment’s notice, to go overseas if required,” Mr Last said.

“It is certainly not within their remit to be out there conducting patrols on our streets.”

Mr Marles declined to comment.

Originally published as State MP Nick Dametto says ADF personnel should be used to stop Townsville youth crime