WAR ON CRIME

RESIDENTS fed-up with youth crime sweeping through the suburbs of Far North Queensland are backing an abandoned tough-love program to steer wayward teenagers on to the right path.

Cairns Safe Knights founder Attila Feher-Holan expects a strong turnout at a juvenile crime community meeting on Saturday, on the back of recent all-in youth brawls and bashings at the Northern Beaches and spiralling car theft and break-in rates.

Participants will be asked to vote for the reintroduction of 92-year-old youth worker Geoff Guest’s Petford Rehabilitation Program, which operated on a farm on the Atherton Tablelands for 20 years until it was shut down by the Beattie Government in 1998.

“We’re getting good feedback and looking forward to presenting this to state and federal members,” Mr FeherHolan said.

“I’m confident there will be over 50 people there and hope- ful it will be overflowing.

“It’s an opportunity to show how important this issue is.

“Whether they vote on it or not, just being there on the day sends a very strong message to the State Government.”

Mr Guest calls his program an “all-encompassing health strategy” that helps families in crisis, rehabilitates anti-social behaviour and follows up with ongoing support.

“There is no point just sending offenders out bush to dig a few post holes or clean a water trough,” he said.

“Unless the Petford Health Program is tied to the relocation policy, it simply won’t work.

“This is exactly what happened to the remote farm rehabilitation policy the LNP tried in 2013 on a property west of Ingham.

“From all reports it was a complete mess and shut down because there was no health policy like that of Petford attached to it.”

The meeting will be held on Saturday from 2.30pm at the Woree Community Hall at the corner of Jasper St and Toogood Rd.