‘Fix youth crime or look for a new job’, says Campbell Newman

Steven Miles should haul in Queensland’s police commissioner and issue her an ultimatum to fix the youth crime crisis or look for another job, former premier Campbell Newman said.

Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Steven Miles should haul in Queensland’s police commissioner and issue her an ultimatum to fix the youth crime crisis or look for another job, former premier Campbell Newman said.

The one-term LNP premier said the Labor government needed to get tougher on tackling youth crime as the daughter of the latest murder victim, Vyleen White, launched her own attack on the Queensland Premier.

Cindy Micallef accused Mr Miles of failing to put forward any new solutions to the youth crime crisis after her mother was stabbed to death on a trip to the shops on Saturday, allegedly by a teenager on bail for armed ­robbery.

“My message to the Premier is to step up or step out,” Ms Micallef told The Australian. “If you’re not going to do the job, let someone else do the job. Let someone else who actually can do the job, and will get it done quickly.”

Mr Newman likened the current youth crime crisis to the outbreak in motorcycle gang violence when he was premier, leading to the introduction of tough anti-association laws and a police crackdown.

The former premier, who put his own police commissioner Ian Stewart on notice in 2013 over the bikie gangs terrorising the Gold Coast, said Mr Miles should do the same.

“I basically said to him ‘Look commissioner, this isn’t good enough … I’m giving you 90 days to sort this out and make no mistake, if you don’t, you will be out of here on jet-propelled rollerskates’,” Mr Newman said.

“He went fairly pale but to his credit he rose to the occasion and got the organisation to perform as the community would expect.”

Mr Newman said Mr Miles had to “energise” the senior leadership of the police while commissioner Katarina Carroll, who has served in the role since 2019, should demand “the resources, manpower and laws to do the job”.

Accusing Ms Carroll of “hand wringing”, Mr Newman urged her to pull police from traffic ­patrols and random breath testing and send them out to guard the suburbs.

“I say to the commissioner, you need to lift your game,” he said. “Use the authority of your position to demand what you need to get the job done.

“Policing seems to be about hitting middle Australia with punitive fines for doing 67km/h in a 60km/h zone or touching your mobile phone while driving when real criminal issues are happening without any proper action.”

In a statement to The Australian, Ms Carroll said she had no intention of resigning and had been “very open and upfront about the challenges and pressures being placed on our frontline”.

“The Queensland Police Service is leading the nation in implementing innovative strategies to reduce youth offending, including wanding operations detecting dangerous weapons, a digital intelligence team cracking down on youth sharing criminal activity on social media and an award-­winning youth program diverting children away from crime,” she said.

“We are already starting to see positive change in places like Townsville, where there has been a significant reduction in property crime due to a very effective policing response.”

Ms White’s murder has re­ignited political debate over the handling of youth crime, with Ms Micallef and other family members this week holding separate meetings with Mr Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli.

Ms Micallef was furious after Mr Miles this week said his government was not considering any law changes. “Do your job, protect the citizens,” she said.

Mr Miles on Tuesday said government was not considering any new youth justice laws but “we will consistently take the advice of the police and if they need tougher laws, they’ll get those laws”.

Former Labor premier Peter Beattie backed Mr Miles’s comments, saying it was “really important” for government to listen to police on how to deal with youth crime.

“If the police need more powers, frankly, I think we should give them to them,” he said.

“They deal with this every single day and there’s nothing smarter than the copper on the beat who’s got to deal with the problem.”

Ms Carroll said she would “always provide frank and fearless advice to government”.

“And as commissioner, I will continue advocating for the resources and support that police need to keep Queensland safe,” she said.

Ms Micallef said people in the community who had been terrorised by young criminals had “a lot of ideas” on how to address juvenile offending but the government “don’t listen”.

Ms White, 70, was allegedly stabbed to death at the Town Square Redbank Plains shopping centre in front of her six-year-old granddaughter.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with her murder, with police alleging the motive was to steal her 1989 Hyundai Getz.

Ms White had cared for her blind husband, Victor, who unleashed on the Premier when they met, Ms Micallef said.

“My dad to his face called him spineless and (said) he needs to grow a backbone.”