Mayor: National service for crims

Force repeat youth crime offenders to join the army in a new national service scheme, Mayor Tom Tate says.

National service was terminated 51 years ago but, following more than a year of increasingly brazen incidents and car thefts, the mayor said he was fed up of “slaps on the wrist” which he considered “encouragement” for juvenile delinquents.

He said it was time for the federal government to step in and bring back mandatory army service to curb the issue.

“(Youth crime) diminishes our city and for those people to do that and take away our lifestyle and safety, they should be punished,” he said. “If they are repeat offenders, at the very least they should go to jail and to me, a slap on the wrist is a form of encouragement. It’s like saying go boy, have another go.

“My radical view is that at a federal level, it is time this generation needs to (learn) respect and a stint in the army is a good way to serve the public and learn some skills.

“It’s time to take that next step. “State and federal governments need to come to terms with this or otherwise it will continue. I’d rather see our taxpayer dollars put into that so rather than being taught the art of being a criminal, they learn the art of being an Australian.”

Mr Tate said six-month stints should be the minimum period.

National service was introduced in 1951 amid the rising tensions of the Cold War, before it lapsed in the late 1950s.

It was revived again in the mid-1960s before ending in 1972 and being abolished the following year. The revival of national service has previously been supported by political figures including former prime minister Tony Abbott.