Our priorities to make our community safer include:
- Increasing the number of police on the beat through retention and attraction.
- Restoring consequences for action at the heart of the Youth Justice Act.
- Ensuring judges can impose sentences that reflect community expectations.
- Diverting young lives from crime by funding Early Intervention programs.
- Fixing the broken Child Safety and Residential Care systems to prevent vulnerable kids heading down a path of crime.
Queenslanders deserve to feel safe in their own communities and not worry about where to hide their car keys or if their children are secure at night
David Crisafulli
Leader of the Liberal National Party and State Member for Broadwater
Paris and Will’s Story
Queenslanders Paris and Will had their cars broken into and their work tools stolen in the dead of night. Thousands of dollars’ worth of trade equipment had been taken in one targeted burglary.
It’s not the first time their local area has been hit. Youth crime has become increasingly common in Paris and Will’s neighbourhood, with entire streets being hit multiple times a month.
Police have been powerless to stop the increasing threat of youth crime and Paris and Will are worried offenders are becoming increasingly confident. Offenders know they’re untouchable and only get a slap on the wrist if they’re caught.
For Paris and Will, youth crime has a real impact on their lives. They work six-days a week to create a better life, but now question why, when they’re forced to spend their hard-earned money replacing what’s been stolen. Paris and Will don’t feel like crime is a priority for the Labor Government.
Criminals are getting younger and younger, and they know they’re untouchable. Crime is just not a priority for the state government.
David Crisafulli
Leader of the Liberal National Party and State Member for Broadwater
Safe communities, Safe homes
Queensland is in the grip of a youth crime crisis.
Queenslanders now fear becoming the next victim of crime as they simply go about their daily lives.
Families are living in fear in their own homes. They are worried about walking down their street because of the alarming escalation of crime across our State. They are being forced to make hard choices. Do they leave their car keys at the front door so thieves will quickly find them and leave, or do they hide the keys and risk criminals rummaging through their homes and disturbing their children?
Car theft is up. Break-ins are up. Far too many Queenslanders have lost their lives because of youth crime. Regardless of whether they have been personally impacted by crime, all Queenslanders are facing higher insurance costs as Queensland is now the car theft capital of the nation.
When the Labor Government weakened the laws, they created a generation of young criminals who see themselves as untouchables. They don’t fear the law because they know there are no consequences for breaking it.
At the same time, the thin blue line continues to get thinner. Police are leaving because they’re being stretched too far and don’t feel supported by a justice system that provides real consequences for offenders.
A top priority for Queenslanders is restoring safety to their neighbourhood and community.
An LNP Government will address the youth crime crisis gripping Queensland.
This starts with rewriting the Youth Justice Act to put consequence for action at the heart of the youth justice system. The rights of victims will be put before the rights of criminals. The LNP will unshackle the judiciary to ensure sentences reflect individual cases and meet community expectations.
Importantly, an LNP Government will deliver gold standard early intervention programs to put kids back on the right track before they commit more serious crimes. These programs will be appropriately funded and constantly assessed to ensure they remain effective.
Too often the dysfunctional child safety system is acting as a gateway into the youth justice system as young people become hardcore, repeat offenders instead of getting the support they need.
Addressing youth crime also involves real reform of the child safety system. Too many young Queenslanders are living in unsafe situations, leaving them vulnerable to a life of crime and ending up in the youth justice system.
An LNP Government will prioritise increased resources for the child safety system to ensure each child can live in a safe and nurturing home. An LNP Government will prioritise guidance, opportunity and discipline for children in Residential Care with the goal of supporting children into foster care and adoption when they’re unable to be cared for by their parents.
An LNP Government will also put victims at the heart of our approach. Our priority will be restoring confidence in our justice system by fixing Queensland’s forensic lab, and giving victims the voice they haven’t had under this Labor Government.
We recognise more needs to be done when it comes to domestic and family violence, and sexual violence against women. Despite a litany of reports and inquiries, too many women are still experiencing violence in Queensland, while key recommendations remain incomplete.