Council takes crime issue to State Conference

Goondiwindi Regional Council this week continues its advocacy for changes to Queensland policing and justice powers to better protect our community.

At its June Ordinary Meeting, the Goondiwindi Region Councillors unanimously decided to submit a motion for consideration at the 2022 Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) annual conference to review the Juvenile Justice and associated Acts to provide for enhanced police powers and greater consequences for offenders and additional community supervision for offenders under restraint or community release.

The annual LGAQ Conference is the formal platform for Queensland councils to collectively agree to lobby state and federal government on key issues impacting local communities. 

“Unfortunately, Goondiwindi town has been subject to a series of break-ins and thefts from a small number of repeat youth offenders and our community has been requesting solutions from the state government for some time now.  As much as this is a state responsibility, on behalf of our community our Council is using every avenue possible to advocate for changes,” said the Mayor, the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM.

“From the outset I want to say that our local police have the full support and confidence of Council, but they are often let down by the courts and other agencies.

“We welcome the recent news from Minister Ryan that the Goondiwindi Police station will now be staffed to permanently operate 24/7. A 24-hour police station provides police with increased resources to find and apprehend criminals.  It doesn’t, however, address the state limitations in relation to intercepting stolen vehicles, or cross-border jurisdictional issues.

“Whilst we’ve been grateful for the assistance to date from the state government, much more needs to be done to break the cycle of crime and hold brazen repeat offenders accountable and protect communities.  As we were reminded recently in the court case relating to the tragic deaths of Kate Leadbetter, Matthew Field and their unborn baby Miles, we need better deterrents and interventions to prevent ours and other communities from becoming the victim of similar tragic consequences of repeat youth criminals.

“Breaking the cycle of crime requires appropriate resources and effective laws, for education, child safety, police, court and justice systems, all of which are a state responsibility, and more must be done to prevent crime and hold offenders accountable,” said the Mayor.