It’s time to get tough
I REFER to the article page 6 of the Townsville Bulletin ( 16/ 07/ 18) titled Push to keep kids out of jails.
One has to really question the so- called recommendations made by the retired Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson where he advocates home detention with electronic monitoring for the criminals instead of detention centres.
He also advocates that police have the discretion not to prosecute offenders for minor crimes.
Question. What is a minor crime? Breaking into someone’s house, stealing vehicle keys, then the vehicle, then driving it with gay abandon around the town putting lives at risk? It’s only a matter of time before an innocent bystander loses a life as a result of the actions of these recidivists.
With regard to the ankle bracelets it’s to be hoped that once the actual locking mechanism is unofficially opened an alarm is triggered as I can imagine numerous dogs running around backyards with bracelets attached to the collars.
Who monitors the alarm system and how often and who attends once the alarm has been triggered?
The word deterrent is hardly ever used if used at all by anyone putting forward so- called solutions.
We have senior citizens in this town afraid to go out in daylight hours let alone during the hours of darkness. They live in fear of being assaulted and robbed. And we propose to let the perpetrators responsible stay at home with no deterrent value, playing games, getting out of bed when they feel like it, do what they want when they want. If that is supposed to be some form of punishment, in my humble opinion and I’m sure the vast majority of the electorate will agree, it certainly does not fit the crimes in question.
Even in the detention centre the criminals are not referred to as criminals but as “young people”. The people in the detention centres are there for a reason.
When is the punishment going to fit the crime?
We have televisions smashed due to aggression. The individuals concerned should have to save up and buy a new one and no television viewing until it’s paid for. It’s called boundaries, which you do not overstep because if you do you suffer the consequences.
What consequences? No Hungry Jacks?
We even have so called “Care Bears’’ who go into the centre on a regular basis questioning the inmates about whether any of those naughty guards have been shouting at them for any reason.
The reintroduction of boot camps has been mooted by certain members of political parties to try and rehabilitate the recidivists. Perhaps a start can be made at the detention centre, which should be run like a boot camp instead of a holiday camp.
We have had meetings after meetings, forums after forums, engaging a retired senior army officer, a retired police commissioner and as to date nothing has changed. We have even had shock treatment to the inmates by the guards having to wear flowered uniform shirts, that must have unbalanced and confused the inmates no end as they all thought they were supposed to be in a detention centre not a beachside holiday villa. It has been said and put into print numerous times that it is impossible to break into people’s houses steal vehicle keys then the vehicle/ s if you are locked up behind bars.
It’s the individual’s own choice as to which road they take. Comply with what society expects of you and walk free or spend your life behind bars. But while there is no deterrent this will continue as reported in the paper. “Out of control.” DAVID THOUMINE, Cranbrook.