Locals to rally over city crime
KAP man wants action
The state’s newly appointed Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer is being urged to attend a rally against crime in Townsville next month.
Victims of crime and frustrated residents in Townsville are planning to gather at the corner of Dalrymple Rd and Woolcock St at 9am on June 17 at an anti-crime rally being organised by a former candidate for Katter’s Australian Party, Clynton Hawks.
Mr Hawks – whose house was broken into just three weeks after his son was born last August – said he felt compelled to do something after a recent spate of “disgusting” youth crimes.
An 81-year-old grandmother was punched in the face after she stood her ground against three youths who broke into her home and demanded the keys to her car last Friday. The youths had been on the run after allegedly being involved in an incident where two stolen cars crashed a few minutes before on Dalrymple Rd.
Police said one of the cars involved – a Toyota Hilux – had been involved in an incident where the occupants allegedly threatened to shoot a group of young pedestrians, but no guns were located.
“They threatened year 1 kids, it really pissed me off,” Mr
Hawks said. “It’s just disgusting, and the sad thing is people in Townsville are just getting used to all this now because it’s just non-stop.
“We know Queensland Police Service do everything they can with what they’ve got.
“But something needs to be done. We can continue to go online and complain about it, or we can actually turn out and do something to show the government how serious this is.”
Mr Hawks said he’d extended an invitation to the rally to all local North Queensland MPS, both state and federal. He also hopes the newly appointed Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer will attend and hear first-hand from locals about what’s happening on the ground of Townsville’s youth crime crisis.
It appears unlikely Townsville MP Scott Stewart, Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper and Mundingburra MP Les Walker will attend. “This is a politically motivated event run by a former political candidate,” a government spokesman said.
“We are always open to talk directly to victims of crime.”