Symbol of dereliction

A $200,000 boulder barrier installed to stop hoons terrorising locals at a Townsville park is just another symptom of Qld’s “broken youth justice system,” says LNP leader David Crisafulli.

Townsville City Council recently forked out about $200,000 to install a basalt boulder barrier around Heatley Park due to dangerous hooning going on at public parks and sporting fields.

It comes after a harrowing incident where a stolen car sent a pack of kids running while it hooned through a soccer field at Burt St, Aikenvale.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli said the anti-hooning measures at Heatley Park were the “symptoms of a broken youth justice system.”

“They’re the symbols of what happens when a government starts losing control of providing safe communities for Queenslanders,” he said.

“The fact that council has had to go put hundreds of large rocks to stop being going on an oval when people are playing sport, where kids are on a playground, shows you what happens when youth crime is allowed to spiral out of control.”

He also expressed doubts on how effective a new Deterring Drivers program aims to prevent young people from stealing cars for ‘joy-riding’ in Townsville.

The $73,000 program, being funded by the state government, will involve an array of adrenaline-pumping activities like zip-lining, sports and abseiling to teach offenders they can get their kicks in a safe, legal way. “How many more programs will we see until the state realises that until we have consequences for actions, the revolving door that is the youth justice system will continue,” Mr Crisafulli said. “Until breach of bail is an offence in the Youth Justice Act, we will continue to see this merry-goround and round and round.”

It comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was grilled about Townsville’s youth crime problems while she was in North Queensland last week.

“People should be able to live their lives without these incidents that are happening and causing them stress,” she said.

“That’s why we’ve got in place stronger communities in Townsville, we’ve got extra police there.

“From all accounts, the new Deputy Commissioner is working very well with communities.

“In fact, he was hand selected by the Commissioner to move from the Gold Coast to Townsville to have that seniority there.”