Townsville can only steer young people away from crime with specialised youth support services and drug treatment, says former Police Commissioner Mick Palmer, cautioning that despite the obvious temptations, using young people as a political tool in the upcoming election will not help the Townsville community.
“The only way to be tough on crime is to fund initiatives that change behaviours and prevent it,” Mr Palmer said. “Youth crime is an issue of serious community concern, but we must respond with measures that are likely to be successful. Experience shows that a purely punitive approach is not one of them.”
The Safest State plan includes a special focus on Townsville, with a proposed ‘Street University’ to divert disadvantaged youth away from crime towards productive pursuits like music, education and employment.
“As a police officer, I spent decades dealing with and sometimes prosecuting young people embroiled in drugs and crime,” said Mr Palmer. “It sadly took me a while to work it out, but the strategy was a complete failure. Too often it leads to kids being locked up for years in a system that is not designed to help them, only to punish them. Too many walk free only to fall into the same destructive cycle and get locked up again, because they weren’t given the support they needed to rebuild their lives”.
“Serious crimes should be punished, but the causes of crime, like drug addiction and disadvantage, must be treated if we are to break the cycle.”
The Safest State campaign is calling for intervention to divert people into community services; engagement programs to empower and steer them away from crime; and specialist residential facilities to treat alcohol and drug issues.
The campaign is an initiative of the Ted Noffs Foundation, the largest provider of drug treatment services to young Australians, which has been pushing to expand its non-residential Street University program to Townsville for years.
Mark Ferry, Acting CEO, said south east Queensland Street Universities have seen amazing outcomes helping young people turn away from drugs and crime by helping them build their skills in music, dance and other creative pursuits that interest them, as well as access to counsellors, social support and treatment.
“The good news for Townsville is its struggles with youth crime are not unique,” says Mr Ferry. “North Queensland deserves the same initiatives to tackle this issue as the south. Townsville needs its own Street University to get its young people off the streets and support their journey to a more fulfilling life.
“We’ve helped hundreds of young Australians turn away from crime, and we can do the same in Townsville. The ‘lock them up’ approach has failed. It’s time to try something we know works and help Townsville’s youth thrive and give back to their community.”
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