Police get tough on TikTok kid crime

SOCIAL media accounts run by young crims who post their exploits online are in the sights of police, as they and their government counterparts work to disrupt and shut down attention-seekers and limit their clout.

Speaking in Cairns on Wednesday, Queensland Police Youth Justice Task Force Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon (below) highlighted the growing intersection of crime and the use of social media, especially regarding motor vehicle theft offences.

“We know such activities are being posted to facilitate notoriety, to encourage others to engage in criminal activities, and to facilitate further crime and compete with other criminals,” Ms Scanlon said.

“We will be moving to disrupt and have accounts shut down.”

Chief Superintendent Rhys Newton issued a challenge to offenders over their social media use.

“It makes great evidence, it places people in stolen vehicles, it gives us times and places and makes our investigation simpler. Post something positive is my challenge,” he said.

In the face of an unprecedented wave of youth crime which has led to break-ins, assaults and the theft of almost 1200 cars this year, police and government officials were in Cairns on Wednesday to assist in finding solutions to what they called a “complex issue”.

Ms Scanlon and Children Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs Senior Executive Director Michael Drane oversaw a multi-agency panel designed to find holistic solutions to the youth crime crisis.

Ms Scanlon said the focus was to ensure whole-of-system responses around serious repeat offenders, of which there are less that 400 across Queensland.