Co-responder program targeting Rockhampton youth crime issues

Despite ongoing youth crime issues in the region the Rockhampton co-responder program has engaged with local youth more than 2,000 times helping with early intervention. Read more about the program here.

Children and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard, Rockhampton MP Barry O'Rourke and Keppel MP Brittany Lauga provided an update on the Rockhampton Co-Responder program.

It has been 18 months since the co-responder program began in Rockhampton, and it’s already had an impact on the region’s youths despite the ongoing issue surrounding juvenile crime in the area.

Since it began in July 2020, the co-responder program has engaged with young people 2,228 times.

The teams involved in the program are made up of police and youth justice workers who patrol the streets and are part of ongoing efforts to tackle youth crime.

The program aims to provide early intervention to stop kids going through or re-entering the youth justice system.

Rockhampton is one of eight locations across the state where the Queensland Government has established the co-responder teams.

Detective Inspector Darren Shadlow of Rockhampton Police said the co-responder program was about targeting high risk offenders and also those at risk of reoffending and trying to keep them out of the youth justice system.

“We put systems in place with the families as well as their youth, to try and help them through,” he said.

“There’s some disadvantaged people out there who don’t have the same privileges and same access to systems and programs other people have and that’s what the co-responder’s all about.

“Today it has been quite successful, it’s an ongoing thing, we’ve had some small wins but they’re wins all the same and they’re only going to get better the longer the program goes.”

Each morning the team goes through a list of high-risk offenders and families that need assistance, before visiting them and referring them to the appropriate assistance agencies.

Children and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard, Rockhampton MP Barry O'Rourke and Keppel MP Brittany Lauga provided an update on the Rockhampton Co-Responder program.

Det Insp Shadlow said the program was available 24/7.

“It’s not just an 8-4 or 9-5 thing, they’re out and about at night-time as well,” he said.

“If police have an interaction with a young person at night they’ll contact the co-responder team and they’ll attend and assist the juvenile and their family.”

Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke said the program helped connect young people with a range of support services and helped make a big difference in their lives.

“These services help tackle a range of issues, from homelessness to disengagement from education, domestic violence and substance misuse,” he said.

“Co-responders also help transport young people home from a place of risk or if they’re engaging in anti-social behaviour, they help find missing children, take them to the hospital to treat injuries, connect them to vocational training and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mentors, and follow up with families in crisis situations.”

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga said co-responders also checked on young people on bail to help ensure they complied with their bail conditions.

“This overall approach strikes a balance between holding offenders to account while giving young people in the early stages of offending the chance to stay out of trouble and the youth justice system,” she said.

While many locals have said there has been a spike in youth crime around the region, Children and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard said the work to try and intervene with youth crime “never finishes”.

“We continue to look at ways, evidence-based ways, we can intervene, intervene early and keep the community safe,” she said.

“The community has a right to stay safe, and I understand one offence is one offence too many, and there’s frustration when this is happening in the community.”

Originally published as Co-responder program targeting Rockhampton youth crime issues