New initiative to keep Gold Coast kids safe and out of trouble

Gold Coast police are rolling out a new initiative designed to reach out to at risk and homeless young people and help keep them safe and out of trouble.

Street CRED – which stands for Collaborate, Re-Engage, Empower and Deter – is a partnership between police, the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women and other non-government agencies, and was launched by Police Minister Mark Ryan at Carrara today.

Minister Ryan said police, along with support staff including a social worker, would spend Thursday afternoons and evenings attending spots known to be hang outs for homeless young people on the Gold Coast and identify any kids in need of help.

“We want to make absolutely sure that vulnerable young people are not out on the streets.

"Police and social workers will locate these at-risk kids and offer them help by reconnecting them with home or by finding them a place of safety with assistance from a relevant service provider,” Minister Ryan said.

“For many of these kids, the only interactions they have ever had with police have been negative – so the focus of this program is on engaging with them and building up a level of trust.

“By having police available and visible, we hope to help them feel comfortable reaching out for help - particularly if they have been hesitant to do so in the past.

“Many of these children are repeatedly reported missing, so the project will also help officers identify and locate them, figure out the reasons why and help put in place strategies to prevent it from happening again.

“It is hoped that this kind of early intervention will be beneficial to them in the long term – with an aim to keep them safe, out of trouble and ultimately off the streets for good.

“This kind of multi-agency approach to keeping children safe and out of trouble achieves results, and it is fantastic to see such a proactive and positive program getting rolled out here on the Gold Coast.”

Note: Footage of police speaking with young people (faces pixelated) is available via the following link

https://d2haxmvzil2swt.cloudfront.net/uploads/2018/07/30/112757_Street_Cred_V4.mp4

Media contacts 

Minister Ryan’s Office: Ph: (07) 3035 8300

Police Media: Ph: (07) 3015 2444