DELINQUENTS CAUSING FEAR ACROSS OUR CITY

WE can sugar coat it all we like but youth crime is now a big issue on the Gold Coast.

Armed with dreams of being “gangstas”, a new generation of would-be posers is terrorising lawabiding citizens.

In the past fortnight I have dealt with issues in my electorate ranging from juveniles damaging property while roaming the streets to taunting people online, including the posting of images of them holding weapons. Enough is enough.

There are only two ways a society can deal with crime.

One is a stronger law enforcement agency. As my neighbouring MP Michael Crandon has forensically assessed, police officers in the Coomera area have received around 392 calls for service each over a nine-month period. That is 58 officers dealing with 22,773 calls for service in less than a year. Police numbers have not kept pace with our growing population.

The second is laws that ensure repeat offenders are dealt with harshly.

While most fair-minded people believe in a second chance, the revolving door that is our Youth Justice Act ensures some people are getting a third, sixth and ninth chance.

So what can be done? In 2015, the Labor Government made changes to the Youth Justice Act in a bid to appease the inner-city left.

What seemed like minor tweaks turned out to be the spark that ignited a youth crime bushfire.

A magistrate presiding over a case in which a young thug has broken into someone’s home must view jail as a last resort despite the offender’s criminal past.

A young delinquent who attacks someone cannot be penalised for breaching their bail conditions.

A young hooligan cannot have their name recorded and admonished publicly, even if a magistrate feels this is the catalyst for better behaviour. These outcomes are detached from society’s expectations and must be changed.

No one cares if the person breaking into their car is 16 or 21. They just want to know if he or she is a repeat offender, and they want to know they won’t be back out on the street to do the same thing the very next night.

The community will no longer cop it.

We’ve done the same old thing for too long and it’s not working. There are some people who, with the right structure, can turn their life around. We must engage to help them. There are others who will only learn through tough love.