BAIL KIDS’ OUTING
COPS TO HOST FOOTY AND FISHING TRIPS
COPS are being asked to take alleged juvenile offenders to footy games and day trips to the park under the incentive of overtime payments. Officers in the region have been offered “abundant overtime” to take children on bail on recreational activities in an email seen by the Townsville Bulletin.
The ambitious initiative, labelled “Operation Regenerate”, is part of a $9.4 million statewide investment from the Queensland Government in an effort to have fewer children remanded in custody.
The email stated overtime activities may include conducting home visits and ensuring compliance for residential curfew conditions but also the “provision of transport to a planned sporting or cultural session” and conducting lowrisk engagement activities such as “recreational activities at an event or public park”.
Police sources said many seasoned police officers were outraged by the proposal.
“They want us to do overtime to take these kids fishing and take them to the footy,” a police source said. “Many of us don’t have the time to do that for our own kids.”
Ex-cop and current LNP Member for Burdekin Dale Last slammed the concept.
“They shouldn’t be using police as babysitters,” he said.
“This is a knee-jerk reaction to the Government’s illthought policy of diverting juvenile offenders from custody.”
According to the internal police correspondence, the program has operated successfully in Brisbane for several weeks and the plan is for it to continue through next year.
An “Intensive Community Supervision Hub”, which will serve as the base for Operation Regenerate locally, opened in Townsville this month at the same site where the Stronger Communities Action Group works out of in Rasmussen.
Officers have been told they can use police cars to transport the children and it is at their own discretion as to whether they wear uniform or dress in plain clothes.
Child Safety, Youth and Women Minister Di Farmer said many of the children the program would benefit needed guidance to deal with their bail conditions.
“A lot of these kids aren’t used to a structured environment, they’ve spent their whole lives just basically fending for themselves,” she said.
“If they had someone looking out for them they could get on the straight and narrow.”
Mr Last said the overtime bill for the initiative would be immense.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said the operation would have police work overtime to limit the impact on their regular service delivery.
“This work … is designed to build conversations and positive engagements with the young person to ensure they get necessary support so they can comply with bail conditions and keep them from returning into custody.”