WAR ON CRIME No more ‘wrist slapping’ for kids, LNP vows

SCRAPPING bail houses, enforcing tougher laws and monitoring young offenders around the clock are some of the LNP’S huge plans to crack down on youth crime at Townsville.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington officially announced the plan in Townsville yesterday to take back the city’s streets if her party wins the October election.

The plan comes just weeks after four teenagers were killed in an alleged stolen car crash at Garbutt, where the 14-year-old driver was let out on bail just days earlier.

The tragedy was the tipping point for many in the community who have fought for the crime crisis to be stemmed.

Leading the plan is the promise to bring back breach of bail as an offence for youth while introducing new laws to recognise prior youth offending in the sentencing as an adult.

The proposal comes five years after the Palaszczuk Government scrapped the law after it had been introduced by the LNP’S Campbell Newman.

Ms Frecklington also promised to enforce mandatory detention on a third conviction, cracking down on offenders and ensuring there will be “no more slaps on the wrist”.

“Everyone in the Townsville community has a right to feel safe in their home and out on the streets,” Ms Frecklington said.

“Young thugs committing violent crime, car theft and drug use won’t be the norm in Townsville under the LNP – it will be stamped out.”

Opposition spokesman for police Dan Purdie said the plan would back up the region’s officers. “Labor’s ‘catch and release’ laws that let juvenile offenders get away with crime will be scrapped once and for all,” Mr Purdie said. “Police are exhausted and stretched to the limit from catching the same offenders time and time again.”

The LNP would also scrap bail houses if elected, in wake of the program facing huge controversy over the costs and reoffending rate.

Townsville’s two bail houses recorded the most curfew breaches in the state between July last year and January, but more recently showed positive results with a lack of damage bills.

LNP candidate for Townsville John Hathaway said the homes were a “recipe for disaster”.

“Scrapping them will save an enormous amount of taxpayer money and ensure young offenders are in dedicated youth detention facilities, not roaming our streets.”

Ms Frecklington promised to extend youth justice monitoring to be 24/7 in a move to take pressure off police and give more responsibility to the Youth Justice Department.

The LNP also promised a trial of Community Payback Farmers where young offenders will improve self-discipline with a focus on elder mentoring.

A portion of money for youth detention will also be diverted into local communities with a high concentration of offenders.

The $7 million two-year trial, set to be based at Townsville and Cairns, will see a number of smaller non-government organisations get a share in the cash.

The idea was based on a similar New South Wales program where it saw a 38 per cent reduction in charges across the top five juvenile offence categories.