Queensland’s youth crime hotspots have been revealed as the government prepares to pass sweeping changes to push harsher sentencing of many young offenders. Making Queensland Safer laws. Premier David Crisafulli said it wouldn’t be the last measure introduced to help curb crime, but Labor accused the Liberal National Party of a rushed job. “From Cairns to Coolangatta, Brisbane to Biloela our communities are under siege,” Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber said.
The state government released figures revealing where Queensland’s 400 most prolific repeat youth offenders were located. (Nine)The state government released figures revealing where Queensland’s 400 most prolific repeat youth offenders were located. The state’s Far North topped the list with 78, and Townsville was close behind with 68.Logan was home to 46 repeat offenders and South Brisbane rounded out the top four with 39.”When we talk about serious youth offenders we have seen that increase 58 per cent over the last five years,” Gerber said. The data also reveals the where young criminals are most active. South Brisbane is a major hotspot with more than 7500 reported offenses between January 1 and November 30 this year.
The state’s Far North topped the list with 78 most prolific youth repeat offenders, and Townsville was close behind with 68. (Getty)The Far North features again with just under 7000, North Brisbane recording 5700, and the Gold Coast 5000.The data was released as the government prepared to pass its Adult Crime, Adult Time laws, increasing sentences for children found guilty of the most serious crimes.Last week a Parliamentary Committee found parts of the laws were incompatible with the Human Rights Act, but maintained they’re justified to keep the community safe. “We are not going to Christmas with the same weak youth justice laws that are in at the moment,” Crisafulli said, saying the changes would be passed on Thursday. The Making Queensland Safer laws aren’t without opposition, some legal and child safety experts say they’ll clog up detention facilities and slow down the justice system. In a statement, the Labor opposition said the laws were complex and had been rushed, with stakeholders given less than three weeks to establish their real implications.