1,200 charged as Taskforce Guardian marks one-year tackling youth crime

• Taskforce Guardian has charged almost 1,200 young people with more than 4,000 offences during 71 deployments in its first 12 months.
• Almost 500 young people have been diverted away from the court system.
• Taskforce Guardian is a rapid response team of specialist investigators and expert youth justice workers who deploy to high-risk areas where extra resources are needed most.

Almost 1,200 youth offenders have been charged and nearly 500 young people diverted away from the justice system in the first year of a specialist youth crime Taskforce.

Queensland Police Service (QPS) launched the flying squad initiative in May 2023, before later becoming known as Taskforce Guardian.

Bringing together specialist police officers with expert youth justice workers deploying to hot spot locations across the state, the Taskforce works alongside local police to arrest serious recidivist offenders, engage with at-risk young people and saturate problem areas to enhance community safety.

Taskforce Guardian has deployed on 71 operations since its inception, with the latest blitz taking to North Queensland with back-to-back deployments in Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa.

The North Queensland operation took place over 23 days, beginning in Cairns on April 1 and finishing in Mount Isa on May 3.

Each deployment focused on providing individualised support based on the needs of each district, including assisting with investigations, bail compliance, high-visibility patrols and youth and family engagements.

In total, 80 young people were arrested for 237 offences and 47 diverted into alternate restorative pathways across the three deployments.

The borderless nature of Taskforce Guardian allows rapid response teams to deploy at any time, where support is needed most across the state.

Police work alongside expert Youth Justice workers to foster a positive rapport with people, connecting them with key support services, local resources, and relevant change-oriented programs focusing on health, education, disability services and First Nations initiatives.

Quotes attributable to Police Minister Mark Ryan:

“We want all Queenslanders to feel protected, and Taskforce Guardian is putting the extra boots on the ground where and when frontline police need support.

“The results speak for themselves, with most areas experiencing a decrease in youth offending during and after Taskforce Guardian has been in town.

“Those resources aren’t just dedicated to enforcement, alongside Youth Justice, Taskforce Guardian is ensuring families and young people are connected to services and programs to help break the cycle of offending.

“I thank the Taskforce for their continued efforts keeping our communities safe.”

Quotes attributable to Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Massingham:

“Our top priority is ensuring the community is safe and feels safe and as you can see from the last 12 months, police are working hard and will continue to do so, to combat youth offending.

“This is just the beginning and while it is very promising to see the impacts Taskforce Guardian and various other initiatives are having across the state, we have more work to do.

“I commend each and every police officer and youth worker involved for their commitment to making arrests to protect our communities, and giving young people beginning down the wrong path, the referrals and support they need to stay on track.

“We will continue to address youth crime from every angle and deploy Taskforce Guardian where local police need it most.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer:

“We know community safety is a real concern for Queenslanders and our priority first and foremost will always be protecting Queenslanders and supporting victims.

“We are a government that listens and takes action and Taskforce Guardian is making a real difference by keeping communities safe.

“While our laws put the most serious offenders in detention, we are focussed on tackling the root causes of crime and stopping the pipeline of young people entering the youth justice system.

“The Miles government is doing all it can to break the cycle of offending, because when a young person comes into the system, we want to make sure we’re doing our very best to stop them returning.”

ENDS