The Queensland Police Service has launched a documentary on its efforts to divert young people from a life of crime.
The 30-minute film, Policing Youth Offenders, provides a real and raw account of the current state of play with youth crime in Queensland, while taking audiences behind the scenes of strategies making a difference in the community.
Featuring representatives from partner Agencies such as the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs, the documentary covers adverse childhood experience, intergenerational trauma, transitional programs, and real-life stories of offenders reshaping their future.
Police Commissioner, Katarina Carroll said the documentary brought to the forefront the underlying complexities of policing youth crime.
“Youth crime is a challenging and complex issue for society which we know cannot be resolved overnight,” Commissioner Carroll said.
“While the documentary confronts some of the difficulties we are faced with, it also showcases amazing outcomes police, Government Agencies and community leaders are achieving through their work with at-risk young people.”
She said she hoped the film provided audiences with new insights into the work being done to tackle youth offending such as intensive case management, the effective Youth Co-Responder teams and other intervention initiatives.
Youth Crime Taskforce Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini said Policing Youth Offenders illustrated the holistic approach of the taskforce.
“While community safety is a priority in everything we do, we know we cannot simply arrest our way out of youth crime issues,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Marchesini (pictured) said.
“We must continue to focus on early intervention and engagement to prevent the dangerous cycle of reoffending.”
