$7 million bid to reduce crime and make FNQ communities safer

The Queensland Government is seeking a non-government organisation to run a $7 million program to reduce youth crime in far north Queensland.

Communities and Youth Minister Warren Pitt said preventing youth crime and stopping re-offending would be the key focus of the four-year program.

“We know from research that many factors can contribute to initial participation in offending – these include family dysfunction, poor social skills and lack of access to training and education,” Mr Pitt said.

“To any person, such factors may seem difficult to overcome; to a young person, they may seem insurmountable, and there may be a temptation to turn to crime.”

The Queensland Government is investing $1.75 million a year for four years for the Young Offender Community Response Service.

Mr Pitt said the government was inviting submissions from eligible agencies to run the service, including a bail support service, in communities in the far north.

“The reality is that a very small proportion of young people will come into contact with the youth justice system. It is critical that we support those young people who are in the system so that they can address their offending,” Mr Pitt said.

“The successful agency will partner with the Department of Communities’ youth justice service centres to deliver individually tailored intervention programs for young people,” Mr Pitt said.

“The delivery of services in local communities where young people live, and the cross-agency collaboration, will complement the efforts by government agencies to break the cycle of crime.”

Young people will be referred to the service by police and magistrates. Funding submissions close on Monday 24 September 2007.

An information kit outlining the submission process is available at www.communities.qld.gov.au or by phoning 4048 9333.

Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3235 4280