MEDIA STATEMENT: Bolstering police capabilities to tackle Youth Crime

Bolstering police capabilities to tackle Youth Crime

• Youth Crime Taskforce transformation to enhance police capability to tackle Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis.
• Young criminals to be investigated by same Command that tracks murderers, paedophiles, organised crime gangs and drug dealers.
• The Youth Crime Group is permanent thanks to LNP Crisafulli Government.

The Crisafulli Government has today announced a strengthening and enhancement to the way Queensland Police will tackle the Youth Crime Crisis in Queensland.

The Queensland Police Service's Youth Crime Taskforce - renamed to the Youth Crime Group - will now work under the Crime and Intelligence Command alongside the same teams fighting organised crime, child sexual abuse, drugs and serious crime and the State Flying Squad.  

This change follows the ground-breaking announcement by the Crisafulli Government in January this year of a $15.4 million commitment over the next four years to make the team of 16 permanent.

The Youth Crime Group work to target high-harm, serious repeat young offenders in crime hotspots across Queensland.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the former Government failed to fund the Youth Crime Group beyond this financial year.

“For Labor, the Youth Crime Taskforce was only ever a headline designed to distract from a problem they didn’t believe existed,” Minister Purdie said.

“These improvements have been initiated by the Police Commissioner and I have every confidence his decisions and new direction of his staff will only continue to drive down crime levels in our State.”

Minister Purdie recommitted the Government’s support of the Queensland Police Service in its fight against youth crime.

“We will always back our police and give them the laws and resources they need to do their jobs like our Making Queensland Safer laws due to be passed in Parliament this week.”

Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said the decision to transition from a temporary taskforce to a permanent Youth Crime Group ensures the QPS has the leadership, resources and coordination required to enhance the response to youth crime in a sustainable, intelligence-led way.

“This is about embedding youth crime as a core policing priority, not a temporary initiative,” Acting Commissioner Chelepy said.

“The Youth Crime Group will sit within the Crime and Intelligence Command, ensuring stronger coordination and alignment with other specialist capabilities.”

“This structure gives us the consistency, capability and leadership needed to deliver a unified response to crime and to keep our communities safe.”

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Brown 0415 772 677.