Far North key focus for new Youth Crime Taskforce

• Police Minister Mark Ryan and Youth Crime Taskforce Commander George Marchesini were today in Cairns to discuss the role of the new QPS Youth Crime Taskforce in the Far North.
  
  
• A total of 66 juveniles have been arrested on more than 200 charges in Far North District as part of Operation Theta since December 19, 2023.
  
  
• To date, police have conducted more than 1195 street checks in the Far North, and dedicated more than 800 additional policing hours as part of the high visibility patrols.

The Queensland Police Service’s Youth Crime Taskforce will continue to build on the case management approach of serious repeat youth offenders, strengthening the collaboration of government departments and support agencies to break the cycle of reoffending.

Queensland Police are employing a number of strategies to proactively prevent and disrupt criminal activities in the Far North, including walking through shopping precincts, engaging with business operators and patrolling residential areas.

To date, the high visibility policing operation has resulted in the arrest of 66 juveniles and 198 adults, and has resulted in more than 530 charges.

The operation involves extra patrols of hotspot areas, with a focus on engagement with young people as well as bail compliance checks.

In conjunction with a range of targeted youth engagement and diversionary programs, new drone technology and a trial of engine immobilisers to prevent car thefts are some of the initiatives being rolled out in Cairns and parts of Far North Queensland.

As recently announced, Cairns will soon host one of two new military-grade drones, with the advanced Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger R70 drones joining the Far North Queensland aerial fleet.

To help prevent car theft, the State Government has announced $10 million will be provided to support a trial of engine immobilisers in Cairns, Mt Isa and Townsville.

The vast majority of young people who come into contact with the youth justice system never offend again. The new laws outlined by the Premier in December target the 10% of serious repeat offenders.

Quotes attributable to Police Minister Mark Ryan:
“The State Government has announced a range of strong and innovative initiatives to further strengthen Queensland’s response to youth crime,” Police Minister Mark Ryan said.

“We have seen through Operation Theta very encouraging results from local police in terms of targeting our high-risk youth offenders in the Far North and ensuring bail compliance.

“The Palaszczuk Government will never stop looking at ways to keep Queenslanders safe and hold offenders to account.

“We are seeing more young people held on remand for longer after we reversed the presumption against bail – this means young people can’t offend when they’re in custody and the community is given reprieve.”

Quotes attributable to Taskforce Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini:
“As part of my role leading the Youth Crime Taskforce, I’ll be travelling the state and speaking with local community representatives to get a full picture of the end-to-end youth justice system,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Marchesini said.

“I know there are some highly effective programs underway in Cairns but I also know there are opportunities to strengthen the collaboration of efforts across the board to get better outcomes for young people and the community.

“We will be looking at engagement and diversionary programs, the multi-agency local panels for serious repeat offenders and prevention initiatives to target disengaged youth before they reach the justice system.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Cairns, Michael Healy
“The police do an extraordinary job keeping residents in Cairns and the Far North safe each and everyday, and this is just an extension of that work,” Mr Healy said.

“I know these extra police patrols have not gone unnoticed by the Cairns community, with these frontline officers highly visible in and around our most popular precincts.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui
“I look forward to the continuing partnership between our tight-knit community and the local QPS officers and staff,” Ms Lui said.

“We know there’s no one size fits all solution, and ensuring diversionary programs are also part of the Taskforce’s response will mean greater, more sustainable outcomes for the community.”

Quotes attributable to Speaker of Parliament and the Member for Mulgrave, Curtis Pitt
“The Palaszczuk Government continues its investment in the Far North, with extreme high visibility policing initiatives part of the raft of measures recently announced,” Mr Pitt said.

“The ongoing partnership with the QPS and the Palaszczuk Government will ensure we work together to keep Far North Queenslanders safe and protect the great lifestyle we’ve come to know and love.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Barron River, Craig Crawford
“The Palaszczuk Government listened to the community and boosted police resources to better protect Far North Queenslanders,” Mr Crawford said.

“These high visibility police patrols have had a positive impact on the community, and I’m pleased to know they will continue under new initiatives to further protect community safety and ensure better outcomes for our youth.”

ENDS

Media Contacts

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Police Minister’s office: 3035 8300