Kids roaming ‘not on’
A TOP Townsville police officer has slammed parents and guardians for letting children run wild through the streets after police witnessed more than 100 people, including kids as young as 12, roam through the night during a huge police operation.
Townsville Western Patrol Group Inspector Roger Whyte said police would be “relentless” in their crackdown on youth offenders that were targeted in Operation Lockdown on Wednesday night, which saw 25 offenders arrested and charged on more than 30 offences.
The six-hour operation around Heatley and Kirwan swarmed on problem streets and areas where known property offenders lived and gathered.
Inspector Whyte said he was shocked to witness about 135 people, the majority children, walking through the streets alone.
“They are walking around aimlessly in the back blocks of our community … so the question is, why?” Insp Whyte said.
More offences of unlawful entry were committed by children than adults in the North Queensland region in the last year, with 1618 juvenile offences in Far North Queensland and 569 in the Townsville District up until January.
In February, 78 child offences were recorded for unlawful entry across Townsville.
The yearly rates were 29 per cent higher than adult unlawful entry offences in the last year.
Insp Whyte said more than 50 police used buggies and bicycles to access areas where squad cars could not venture.
Police conducted curfew checks, doorknocked known offenders and saturated areas likely to pick up recidivist offenders.
Insp Whyte was hopeful the arrests would put a dent in the crime rates but said police would not stop after one successful operation.
“Let me tell you, we are coming for you,” he said to the city’s offenders. “It’s very important that the community realises that at the end of the day we will be relentless in the pursuit of these offenders.”
IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMUNITY REALISES THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE WILL BE RELENTLESS IN THE PURSUIT OF THESE OFFENDERS
ROGER WHYTE