Youth crime Qld: Undeniable parallels between fallen Premier and Katarina Carroll’s shock exit

Just like Annastacia Palaszczuk before her, Katarina Carroll was given no choice but to exit as pressure and frustration mounted around her, writes crime editor Kate Kyriacou.

Just like Annastacia Palaszczuk before her, Katarina Carroll was given no choice but to exit as pressure and frustration mounted around her, writes crime editor Kate Kyriacou.

The incredibly complex task of fixing Queensland’s youth crime crisis has hurried the exit of another state leader.

Just as was the case with the departure of former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll did not leave in her own time, in a way that suited her.

Instead, both women stepped aside amid mounting pressures and frustrations from the broader community - including around people’s expectation that they should feel safe in their own homes.

A little over two weeks ago, a teenage boy allegedly approached 70-year-old Redbank Plains grandmother Vyleen White in the car park of her local shopping centre and stabbed her in the chest before stealing her car.

A floral tribute to Vyleen White, 70, of Redbank Plains, who was stabbed in the chest in the car park at Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre. Picture: Tertius Pickard

She died in front of her tiny granddaughter, who was just metres away when the attack unfolded.

Queenslanders had already had enough of juvenile offenders - or at least that “cohort” who cannot be reached by the many initiatives and support programs aimed at diverting them away from crime.

But the death of Ms White, which unfolded in a matter of seconds, was so shocking that people needed someone - other than the alleged offender - to blame.

Was it the fault of the government’s approach to youth crime? The reluctance of the courts to keep young offenders behind bars?

The answer is far more complex - but it was the Police Commissioner who was thrust into the spotlight over it.

In the days that followed, she faced mounting criticisms from Gold Coast police upset that their colleague had been stood down for allegedly ordering the ramming of a stolen car.

Stood-down cop Senior Sergeant Arron Ottaway out jogging on the Gold Coast after facing disciplinary action over a police pursuit. Picture: Nigel Hallett

They wanted him reinstated and called on Ms Carroll to do the very thing the service was accused of throughout the Commission of Inquiry into Police Responses to Family and Domestic Violence - not following proper disciplinary processes.

Other police expressed concerns that the Queensland Police Service was being handed too many outside responsibilities at a time when frontline officers found themselves overworked and buried in bureaucracy.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll announces her resignation in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled

Responsibilities for State Emergency Services, Maritime Safety Queensland, Queensland Ambulance Service ramping, youth justice including the government’s five-point plan, Queensland Government Air, Protective Services and Queensland Health responsibilities during the Covid-19 years have all put added pressure on police.

As the Labor Government approaches an election, and with youth crime and community safety squarely on the agenda, it was clear the criticism of Ms Carroll was an unwanted distraction.

And so, weeks away from when she should have begun discussions about her contract, it was suddenly time to go.

Originally published as Youth crime Qld: Undeniable parallels between fallen Premier and Katarina Carroll’s shock exit