Another war being fought in this city
IF you use the weekend to catch up on the news of the week, prepare yourself.
It’s war.
I’m not talking about the Russia-ukraine situation, which escalated from ‘will he or won’t he’ regarding Vladimir Putin.
Yes, he did, but the one in our own backyard.
Our region is being held hostage by a mob of lawless teens and kids, and yet here we are, years on, with more Band-aids than my blistered heels after Cup Day, and radio silence from those in a position to actually do something about it.
Clearly, the directive from the top is, ‘The first rule of youth crime is don’t talk about youth crime’.
The trouble is, the victims are right here in the community, and we talk, and use social media, and read newspapers, and vote.
How our local members can studiously ignore this elephant, make that ‘mammoth’, rampaging unchecked through our community, while maintaining a nothing to see here facade, is inconceivable.
Yes, we know the majority of these kids are troubled, and yes, we know they come from terrible backgrounds, and yes, we know Child Services is overrun, and yes, we know magistrates are loathe to lock kids up, but come on.
Years of calling for solutions to both minimise damage, prevent injury to citizens and to try to forge a new path for these kids have failed on every level.
Bail houses didn’t work, breach of bail is gone, and family mentors? If only.
Police chases are deadly for all concerned.
I’ve repeatedly advocated for a
single, nimble Polair to track these stolen cars as they terrorise innocent drivers on our roads, and now, our kids at sporting fields.
Yet Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll used the one example of when the completely unsuitable Air Rescue ambulance caused a commercial flight to be diverted as some kind of benchmark saying, “We can’t keep doing that.”
You haven’t.
By the way, southeast Queensland just took delivery of two Polairs.
If our airspace near the RAAF base is so problematic, here’s a
thought – build a helipad somewhere else – say, at Lavarack Barracks. Here in Townsville, Queensland Police data detailed more than 170 car theft charges, and 111 charges of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in January alone, yet we are repeatedly fobbed off with ‘more police’, which in reality means fly-in, Brisbane-based police.
And now the latest ‘anything but a Polair’ offering is drones.
Northern Region Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Wheeler described them as “cutting-edge, military-grade equipment”, saying they won’t be used for car chases, but for “static”
situations, where police can “direct troops on the ground to where that particular problem is”.
So, with the police now using military terms to describe this situation, can we at least agree it’s a war?
Also, only one drone can be airborne at a time, and will only be able to operate within “line of sight”.
Stop laughing, I’m not even joking.
Drones also aren’t permitted to fly over the city or within 5km of the airport.
So much for an eye in the sky. More like “ashtray on a motorbike”.
Now the ratepayers of Townsville have to foot the bill to install barriers at sporting fields to protect our children at an approximate cost of $700k to stop these delinquents from driving stolen cars on them. This council and the three blind mice need to say enough is enough and get she who must be obeyed to change the laws. The current ones in place obviously aren’t working. MG, 4815
Scomo is the fat loudmouth kid in the bike racks gobbing off when a fight breaks out. He’d be well advised to concentrate on the Ukraine instead of stirring up China. De-escalation is the key, not getting gobby from the sidelines. OMROG, 4814
Dale Last thinks we in Townsville are ignored again by this useless government. We certainly are the poor cousins. The southeast corner gets new state-of-the-art helicopters and we get a drone – unbelievable. HACKER JENSEN, 4818
Why do we print rates notices down south when we have at least five printer companies in this town? I thought
Jenny was all about helping the local businesses. TOM, 4817
Just look at this city and the continuous crime being committed by juveniles. If you ask our three local MPS about changing the law you can’t get an answer from them. God help them if they ever said it’s broken because the party would dump them for not toeing the party’s line. And to think the same three local members will expect you to vote for them in three years. How can they hide and turn their backs on the people and say it’s all right?
Show your faces at least instead of hiding. BLU, KIRWAN
These young criminal terrorists have no fear now. Over the years the violent dangerous behaviour has become worse. Over time, with no punishment and discipline, the hardcore ones know they can get away with it. Now it’s treated like a big playground for them. They have to be held accountable for their actions, with parents being held responsible also. Everyone deserves to be safe again. PAT, 4812
More dangerous driving. The only way to solve the problem is for the voiceless trio to tell the premier that she should pass a law making proper supervision of children compulsory. Parents who don’t supervise properly should have to pay restitution for damages. If they aren’t working, they should have to volunteer. The only way to stop criminal behaviour is to make the person responsible for their actions. ARRAY, 4818
Gus of Mount Louisa, I agree, the drivers of the stolen cars on the sporting field who were trying to kill 50 kids and parents should be charged with serious offences. But of course this is Queensland the stupid state and even if it was mass slaughter unseen since Port Arthur, both Princess Puddle and her three local deaf, dumb and blind mannequins, would not bat an eyelid. PETE AT DOUGLAS
Perhaps it’s time to release JT from the Cowboys. It wasn’t just last year that he was plagued with injuries, this has been going on for a few years. It would take a miracle for him to regain his form of six years ago. Time for a younger, fitter man to take on the role. JEFF, CONDON