It seems as though every time I turn on the television these days, there is yet another story about young criminals terrorising Queensland residents.
Whether it's gang violence, fatal grand theft auto, or break and enters, the scourge of these insubordinate teens upon our state is shaking the fabric of what we once considered a holy land for mateship and mutual respect.
Call me old-fashioned, but I can't help but wonder where the parents are? Why are these children - and that is what they are - allowed to roam our streets with abandon, at any time of the day or night? I recall my 5pm curfews, my strict upbringing, and how a hefty dose of respect was drilled into me from a young age.
If the families of these children are incapable of raising them, is it not the responsibility of the courts and the state to step in?
Voice for Victims has marched on parliament, fed up with seeing millions of public funds wasted on "ineffective responses to crime" and is now putting the pressure on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to crack down on the crisis.
Group advocate Ben Cannon penned a letter to the Premier, requesting a meeting and stating that the group will seek a Royal Commission if their demands are not met.
These demands include special assistance payments for victims to be increased from $10,000 to $105,000, subsidised psychology sessions for victims, and a zero tolerance approach to repeat offenders.
Youth rehabilitation programs have been a god-send for many communities. I covered Project Booyah, a police-driven initiative, when I was a journalist in Rockhampton, and attended the ceremony of a group of wayward youths who had shown remarkable progress up until their Booyah graduation date. These kids; in and out of court, lost and unabashed, and devoid of direction, had walked out with TAFE certificates, new skills, and more importantly - respect.
Initiatives like these, while good in theory, are a drop in the ocean when it comes to the enormity of the youth crime crisis. And for every kid that gets on the right track, there is another that detours back onto the wrong path once again.
The public outrage is palpable.
Residents are now taking it upon themselves to chase down stolen vehicles, perform citizen arrests, and put themselves in harm's way to deter and apprehend these criminals. Yet the next day, they are back on the streets, with a slap on the wrist after a cold bed in lock-up for the night. There is hardly any deterrence for these kids, who realise the benefit of their youth.
A good samaritan mother in Rockhampton invited a group of teens to eat with her while she was buying food for her family at Red Rooster. The kids had been harassing customers, yet the kindly woman bought them dinner and even invited them into her home, where she sat them down, and them asked them about their lives.
She told me how some of the kids had lamented that it was their first meal all week, that they didn't believe they had a future, and that they knew the public's disdain towards them was rife.
However, with all this said, these kids who have fallen through the cracks due to disadvantage, poor choices, and neglect, must be governed like any other resident.
While Voice for Victims prepares for a rally next weekend, I wonder if the pressure will be enough to not only prevent more loss of life and property, but to give these kids a fighting chance at a real future.
- Steph Allen, North Queensland Register journalist.
