Review sparks changes

TSCAG ‘revamped’ with new name and reforms

THE Townsville Stronger Communities Action Group will undergo a major overhaul as reforms from a contentious review are put in place.

The revamped and refreshed group will operate under a new name, the Townsville Stronger Communities Early Action Group, and will target at-risk young people early to help stem criminal behaviour.

This comes after a review of TSCAG, the details of which, have yet to be released, was completed after the Townsville

Bulletin reported the group had not been evaluated since its inception in 2016.

The group was also operating without any key performance indicators.

The state government said contributions from individuals involved in the review were provided in the “spirit of candour and openness”, adding that while those contributions must be kept confidential, the state government had released the reforms that flowed from the report.

The Northern Region’s top police officer Assistant Commissioner Mark Wheeler and Youth Justice Deputy Director General Philip Brooks, who grew up in Townsville, will lead the new TSCAG.

TSCAG is comprised of social, welfare and policing resources tasked with taking a whole-of-government approach to stopping criminal and anti-social behaviour in young people.

The feedback helped inform the new strategies which include a more targeted purpose, aimed at early intervention, improving information sharing between government agencies, and enhancing transparency with the public regarding the group’s objectives and activities.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the reset should make a real difference on the ground in Townsville.

“We always want to do things better, and with a strong leadership team and a clearly defined purpose, the revamped Townsville Stronger Communities Early Action Group can deliver better outcomes for young people,” Mr Ryan said.

“We’ve put in place the strong laws, like a presumption against bail, to target the hardcore recidivist offenders.

“But we must also continue to focus on early interventions for kids and their families to give them a better chance of leading productive lives.”

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard said early intervention was a key pillar of the state government’s youth justice reforms.

“Evidence clearly shows that providing vulnerable young people with support when they start to go down the wrong path reduces the chances of criminal and anti-social behaviour later on,” Ms Linard said.