LOCUSTS ON A FIELD

Crims as young as 12 swarming suburbs while police wage battle against thousands of assaults

TEENAGE criminals are swarming like “locusts on a field” breaking into homes and stealing cars in one suburb, before moving on to the next, according to the Coast’s police union rep. Several Gold Coast police sources have backed up South East Police Region Union rep Andy Williams, saying they are dealing with the same group of teens time and time again.

The strict coronavirus restrictions don’t appear to have stopped criminals wreaking havoc across the Coast, with break and enters and cars being stolen at alarming rates.

It comes as a deep dive into Queensland crime statistics shows the Coast has the highest number of assault, stolen cars and traffic offences of any police district in Queensland.

There were 3169 assaults in the past year – nearly 1000 more than any other police district across the state – 2373 stolen car offences and 4027 traffic offences.

TEENAGE criminals are swarming like “locusts on a field” breaking into homes and stealing cars in one suburb, before moving on to the next, according to the Coast’s police union rep.

Several Gold Coast police sources have backed up South East Police Region Union rep Andy Williams, saying they are dealing with the same group of teens time and time again.

The strict coronavirus restrictions don’t appear to have stopped criminals wreaking havoc across the Coast, with break and enters and cars being stolen at alarming rates.

Police data shows there has been 599 reported car stealing offences across the Coast since March 2. That is more than six offences every day.

There were 1153 charges relating to home break-ins for the corresponding period.

An officer told the Bulletin they could chalk up a number of those offences to the same core group of teens, who appear to have a get-out-of-jailfree card at Southport Magistrates Court.

“I’m not sure what it’s going to take, do we need a police officer getting seriously hurt by one of these idiots before action is taken in the courts?” they said. “If it was an adult doing these offences, they would be locked up. Not these kids, they get the get-out-ofjail-free card. It’s a joke.

“They’re getting younger and younger. A 12-year-old is part of this group and he laughs in our face when we arrest him.

“He knows he’ll walk, or if he does time in juvie, it’s easy and he’ll be back out in a few months, doing the same thing.”

Mr Williams wrote in the January/February Union Journal of a growing chorus of frustration from officers over juvenile crime.

“As I visit stations in the southeast I find I am regularly talking to members who are frustrated by juveniles,” he wrote.

“Project Booyah is doing excellent work in helping atrisk youth, but we can’t keep transferring frontline police positions to do the work of other Government departments.”

He said more needed to be done by the Government to focus on the 15 per cent of young offenders committing 90 per cent of the crime.

“My last article attracted comment in the media, and I noted with interest that the QPS put out a statement stating that 85 per cent of offenders cautioned never reoffend.

“What about the other 15 per cent? As I go about the region I see the same names, the same photos. I would say these 15 per cent are responsible for 90 per cent of youth crime.

“These are the young people who get into a group and swarm on an area like locusts on a field. They cause a massive spike in crime, then move up or down the Brisbane to Broadbeach line to do it all again. Where are the Government projects for these kids?”