Youth crime down as YJ for a Day succeeds
SEVEN months ago Chinchilla reached breaking point as fear and uncertainly permeated residents’ daily lives, yet today a semblance of safety has returned thanks to the combined forces of police and Youth Justice.
A surge in car thefts, break-ins and police pursuits through the streets of Chinchilla between late 2019 and August 2020 reached boiling point last year and was the catalyst for the town’s police and the Department of Youth Justice to join forces to stop the trajectory of crimes committed by juveniles.
Chinchilla officer in charge Sergeant Andrew Irvine said the collaborative partnership with several government organisations had been helping officers carry out direct, on-the-ground meetings with youths most at risk of reoffending.
“These partnerships (involve) sharing of information as per the relevant MOU (Memmorandum of Understanding) and involves engaging with at-risk youth who are subject to community-based supervised orders or bail requirements,” he said.
Sergeant Irvine said the program helped the teens develop positive decision-making skills which reduced the risk of reoffending and increased community safety.
During the weekly program, YJ for a Day, plainclothed police officers accompanied a youth justice case worker during the young offenders’ reporting sessions.
Youth Justice Toowoomba and southwest service centre manager Leigh Wright said the Chinchilla-based program was designed to build stronger relationships within the community.
“They decided to run a program that was informal interactions with the police, the purpose of that was to build relationships between the young people, their families, and police, because there was quite a lot of angst within the community,” she said.
Ms Wright said one aspect of the program was to deescalate tensions in the town and “to prevent inappropriate responses within the community”.
“There was a lot of activity with community members approaching the government, writing petitions highlighting their concerns around criminal activity by youth in town,” she said.