Police and Youth Justice workers in Rockhampton have engaged more than 4,500 times with young people since the joint team was established in 2020 — part of their efforts to break the cycle of youth crime in the city.
The Government has announced it now had plans to expand the program to five new locations — Toowoomba, Hervey Bay, Mount Isa, Ipswich and South Brisbane.
As well as Rockhampton, teams currently operate in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Moreton, Logan and Brisbane North and the Gold Coast.
Minister for Children and Youth Justice , Leanne Linard met Youth Justice and police co-responders in Rockhampton at the Bike Shed — just one of the types of services and programs that co-responder teams employ to steer young people away from offending.
The Bike Shed offers a program for young people around the repair and restoration of bikes.
Ms Linard said the Government had allocated funds to a wide range of intervention programs for young people.
“Recently, the Premier announced that $100 million in additional funding would be invested into programs proven to make a difference when it comes to youth crime, including our youth co-responder teams,” Ms Linard said.
Detective Acting Inspector Luke Peachey said the co-responder team in Rockhampton was doing a great job of engaging with both at-risk and high-risk young people, diverting them into early intervention opportunities.
“Partnering with Youth Justice allows us to engage with young people in a more positive way. Most young people the crews come across readily engage with them,” Detective A/Inspector Peachey said.
Further information on the Youth Justice reforms can be accessed at this PS News link.
