Deterrent only way
I REFER to the page one headline ( TB, 23/06) “Will It Ever End?” Under the present Labor Government here in Queensland the answer is no.
Someone in authority at some stage has to stand up and say enough is enough.
Countless letters and texts have been published in the Bulletin stating the obvious: These criminals, recidivists, fear nothing as there is nothing to fear and there lies the problem – without a deterrent, acts of crime will continue unabated.
It’s as if some form of social experiment is being conducted on the criminals between the government, do-gooders, academics and bleeding hearts to try and find a solution without using the “D” word: deterrent.
The strategies perused so far appear to have been abject failures: flowered shirts, no insignia on the guards’ uniforms as they look too much like police uniforms; bail houses in through the front door and out through the back door; and offduty police officers acting as nannies taking recidivists on outings. We must also mention Labor’s famous Youth Justice Act, with the requirements for offenders to be bailed and only kept in custody as a last resort.
Mention must also be made of the hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars wasted on repairs to detention centres wantonly damaged by inmates.
If the Government can’t control the inmates on the inside, what chance has it got of controlling the criminals on the outside?
The strategies adopted by Labor all work in favour of the criminal.
If detention centres were run as they should be, the word would soon filter through to stay away from them, but as we all know offenders make numerous reappearances to the centres and while inside (I am told by people in the know) can be heard discussing the next type of vehicle they will target and ways of obtaining the keys.
What is most disappointing is that the three resident Palaszczuk representatives here in Townsville have stood by and allowed juvenile crime to escalate unabated.
Enough is enough. Put in place some measure to deter recidivism and maybe our lives here in Townsville will also change for the better.
DAVID THOUMINE,
Cranbrook.