Mayor admits crime is on rise

Mayor Tom Tate has admitted Gold Coast residents are not feeling safe and has renewed his calls for tougher penalties amid a youth crime surge.

The city has been plagued with days of car thefts and break ins that has seen a vehicle torched in a family driveway, a home stormed by as many as eight youths armed with knives, and three police cars damaged in a pursuit. The incidents have followed a release of serious repeat juvenile offenders from custody. The Mayor says the offending of recent days is an escalation in the Gold Coast’s youth crime problem.

“The public deserves to have trust that they are safe,” Mr Tate said. “Right now, that’s not the case despite the amazing work of our police men and women.

“I believe we are at a stage where we have to take more punitive measures including removing these hard core repeat offenders,” he said, after earlier this week calling for state and federal MPs to support a return of mandatory military service for delinquent youth.

Exclusive data obtained by the Bulletin reveals that stronger measures announced to tackle the rise in serious repeat juvenile offenders (SRO) have failed to make a difference on the Gold Coast. The number of SROs has increased from 50 in 2022 to 53 last year.

Mr Tate said the data highlighted the need for a ‘total rethink’ to stamp-out what he’s labelled a ‘scourge’.

“We are at a stage where we have to take more punitive measures including removing these hard core repeat offenders.

“At the sentencing stage of the legal process, give them a simple choice – jail or a set term of one or two years in the defence services.”

“This path of arrest, bail, and repeat is clearly not working,” he said.