Miles flicks blame onto bureaucrats

STEVEN Miles has blamed bureaucrats for a government decision two years ago to abandon a proposal to use GPS trackers on young offenders.

The Acting Premier yesterday confirmed that he would support the use of GPS tracking devices on young offenders if the move was backed by evidence.

It came as Opposition Leader David Crisafulli ramped up calls to make breach of bail a criminal offence – calling on the government to make it the first order of business when parliament resumes next month.

Asked yesterday why the government had not gone ahead with a GPS tracking recommendation made by former Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson in 2018, Mr Miles (pictured) said the matter had been considered at “agency level”.

It is believed the GPS plan was killed off by key ministers who did not support their use before Cabinet could even consider Mr Atkinson’s recommendation.

That’s despite police backing their use for certain juvenile offenders at the time.

That meant that Cabinet considered Mr Atkinson’s extensive Youth Justice recommendations, minus the one that discussed the use of GPS.

It is understood departmental heads believed the rollout of a GPS program would be too difficult to manage, but no work was done on a possible trial.

“Bob Atkinson made a recommendation that it should be considered – I understand that it was considered,” Mr Miles said on Wednesday.

“I think it’s important to stress that when Bob Atkinson made that recommendation, it was as a possible alternative for detention.”

He said reporters would have to ask the agencies what considerations they made.

“I understand that of his (Mr Atkinson’s) 77 recommendations, 76 have either been implemented or are in the progress of being implemented,” he said.