The biggest issue facing Mount Isa right now is youth crime, but police say it is a small group of 20 young re-offenders committing these property offences.
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Queensland Police Service is upping the ante in the wake of countless reports of break-ins and property crime, many against the elderly.
Senior Sergeant Brad Inskip of Mount Isa Police is spearheading Operation Tucson to target young criminal activity at night time; stopping, interviewing, and photographing unsupervised youth about their night-time activity.
“There’s a few strategies that are part of this operation – one being stopping kids at night. We’re speaking to them all the time, day and night, but obviously focusing on night time,” Sr Srg Inskip said.
He says in the last four weeks local police have recorded up to 500 interactions with unsupervised youth on the streets of Mount Isa. That’s not 500 children though, some of those are double ups.
Sr Srg Inskip said police take into account the age of the children, whether they look like they have supervision, and their behaviour.
"So, it could be the middle of the day, the kids could be old enough to be walking around unsupervised, but if their behaviour is not acceptable or what the community expects, then they can expect police to be speaking to them,” Sr Srg Inskip said.
Intercepting children at night is nothing new, and happens across Queensland on a regular basis.
“This is just an increased focus on that because we’ve identified that there are children walking the streets at night, and they are the ones committing a lot of the property offences in Mount Isa,” Sr Srg Inskip said.
Worryingly, there are also young children wandering the streets who aren’t committing offences just yet, but are at risk of offending in the future.
Police are trying to nip those ones in the bud, and connect with their parents.
“We’re trying to grab a hold of those kids, find out who they are, and we’re speaking to their parents during the week,” Sr Srg Inskip said.
“They’ll get a visit from a senior police officer, and we speak to them about why their children are walking the streets at night.”
“Do they need assistance? We can refer them on to support agencies for assistance with parenting or any other range of issues that might be causing the fact that these kids are walking the streets at night,” he said.
Residents are urged to call 000 immediately if they see a crime happening, or call Policelink on 131 444 after the fact.
One person who has had a gut’s full of juvenile crime is born-and-bred Mount Isa local, Kim-Maree Burton.
Ms Burton has had multiple experiences of young people trying to enter her home at night, and knows of at least five elderly women who have experienced similarly traumatic invasions.
“On October 15 I was woken by a bright light shining in my face, and I was hit with the stench of this young person’s body odour as they stood over me. They had used an 8 or 9-year old to get in through a very narrow window,” Ms Burton said.
“I can tell you there is nothing more frightening than being woken in the middle of the night with an Aboriginal youth standing over you,” she said.
Ms Burton said she is tired of the ‘politically correct’ approach of the judicial system, which she says favours the perpetrators and not the victims.
“Whenever I hear people say these ‘louts’ need love, I want to scream. Where is the love for the victims? Giving love also means giving tough love; immediate punishment to teach them that for every action, there is a consequence,” Ms Burton said.
“This is all band aids. Until the authorities and court system starts taking a hard line, until we stop having this soft conversation, nothing will change.”
Do you have a personal story of juvenile crime that you would like to be heard? Email esther.macintyre@fairfaxmedia.com.au