Western Downs records ‘significant’ drop in youth crime

A multi-pronged approach to reducing youth crime in the Western Downs has paid dividends, with police reporting a ‘significant’ drop in juvenile offending. Here’s how they did it.

Western Downs police say a ‘local solutions for local problems approach’ to youth crime has led to a significant decrease in juvenile offending across the region.

Data released by the Queensland Police Service shows youth crime rates in Queensland has fallen to a near-record low with the rate of child offenders dropping by 2 per cent in 2023-24 and 18 per cent since 2012-13.

Offence numbers had also dropped by 6.7 per cent last financial year.

Similarly, a report released in February this year showed the Darling Downs police district had recorded a 16 per cent decrease in youth offending in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Chief Inspector Detective Garry Watts. Picture: Emily Devon

A 15 per cent decrease in the number of individual youth offenders was also recorded.

Queensland Detective Chief Inspector Garry Watts said police had been taking a multi-pronged approach to curbing youth crime.

“The Western Downs Patrol Group has seen an significant decrease in youth crime between the years 2023 and 2024 and the South West District management is extremely proud of all of the officers engaged in this area of policing,” Chief Inspector Watts said.

“We understand that it takes a village to raise children, and as such we prefer, when we are able to do so, to collaborate with our local stakeholders to identify the needs, and where we can we prefer to offer local solutions, programs and support services to support and assist the at risk youth.”

Chief Inspector Watts said the establishment of South West Early Engagement Panels had been integral in helping to combat youth crime.

“Various multi-agency collaborative panels have also been established within the South West Police District, including one within the Western Downs Patrol Group, known as SWEEPs,” he said.

“These South West Early Engagement Panels meet monthly to case manage identified at-risk youth who are in or have just entered the justice system.

“SWEEP offer support to the young person and their families to re-engage them into education, divert and prevent them from reoffending, and to bolster community safety.

“The SWEEP panels refer identified young offenders to a variety of youth programs or services offering local solutions to local problems. These programs and service providers are supported by our partner agencies such as Youth Justice, Child Safety, Queensland Health, and Queensland Education, Lifeline and other NGO’s.”

Chief Inspector Watts said they were also keeping a close eye on offenders who were out on bail.

“Our local police also use Intensive Bail Supervision Program funding, and UNISON Youth engagement funding to engage and monitor our more serious youth offenders within the WDPG,” he said.

“Our police assist youth offenders and their families to manage bail and curfew compliance through direct face-to-face engagement and support 24/7.”

Chief Inspector Watts said community programs had also played a large role in the decrease of youth crime.

“Community support programs play an integral role of assisting youth and their families to navigate their way back into gaining community confidence from their offending, re-engaging them into education or employment, and ultimately to divert them from further reoffending,” he said.

“Police cannot do this alone, we need the support programs and the support of the community, the various government stakeholder agencies, and local NGO’s, to stand alongside of us as we invest in the future of our children.

“Programs such as the PCYC Boxing After Dark, Blue Edge Basketball, and REAP the Rewards Programs, to name a few, allow our young offenders to meet and engage with our local police during program content with an emphasis on self-respect, attitude, and positive re-engagement back in to community and education.

“These programs have proven to provide successful outcomes to the youth who participate within these programs, which has resulted in no ongoing offending.”

Originally published as Western Downs records ‘significant’ drop in youth crime