1 December, 2022
Community Support Critical to tackling youth crime on Downs
Car thieves are disengaged with society and seeking notoriety by using social media, police call for public assistance in securing vehicles and identifying stolen cars.
Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon addressed the media as questions surrounding the nature of youth crime on the Downs were circling in the community.
She provided an update on how the problem was being tackled by the recently assembled Youth Justice Taskforce, a group led by the Queensland Police Service in collaboration with agencies such as the Department of Children, Youth Justice, and Multicultural Affairs.
The task force was set up in February 2021 in response to concerns in regional Queensland about youth crime.
In Oakey, abandoned vehicles are frequently seen in and around the district, often stolen from Toowoomba and dumped here by offenders.
Assistant Commissioner Scanlon said, while she has been dealing with vehicle thefts in the region for over four decades, the current batch of offenders are increasingly taking to social media to show off their prizes.
“If you post online, you are providing evidence to Police and we will shut accounts down, with the help of the national e-Safety Commissioner,” she said.
In June, a 13-years-old boy was killed in a crash on the Warrego Highway while driving a vehicle stolen from Kingsthorpe.
Assistant Commissioner Scanlon said local communities could also play a role by engaging young people in social activities, and also alerting police as soon as stolen vehicles were spotted.
“Our police are doing everything they can.
“It’s also about community cooperation with letting us know about stolen vehicles,” she said.
“It comes back to asking ‘Why are these young people out late at night?’”
“These young people are disengaged with mainstream life.”
The search for stolen vehicles has been the main focus for Oakey Police in recent months, in collaboration with officers in Toowoomba.
Earlier this month, police deployed the dog squad to track four children caught breaking into cars.
The message from local officers was for residents to take personal responsibility for home and vehicle security.
Constable Gabe Lindeman said offenders in Oakey often looked for tell-tale signs that a home or vehicle was vulnerable.
“Remain vigilant. A lot of people don’t think that it will happen to them,” he said.
“Make sure your keys are kept secure and on your person. Offenders are getting bolder in our area.”
Assistant Commissioner Scanlon said a key focus of the Taskforce more broadly is a group of about 400 young offenders across the state who police say commit 50 per cent of youth crime.
The majority of the offenders lack family support and are disconnected from their communities and society in general.
“They remain the focus, not just in policing their activities, opposing bail, holding them in custody where we need to, but also importantly, the work that must occur to change over time that must focus on the root causes of crime – not just the way police respond,” she said.
