The idea of imposing a 10:00pm to 6:00am curfew on Murgon’s youth is not a goer, Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff said on Monday.
Cr Duff was responding to a request from the Murgon Business and Development Association to look into the possibility of introducing a curfew on young people in the Murgon area to ensure they didn’t wander the town’s streets at night.
The call for a curfew came after six to eight youths went on a mini-crime spree in the town late last year, breaking into residences.
While police later apprehended six youths who are now in custody, thanks to help from community members, the incident reignited calls for a town curfew.
Cr Duff said the South Burnett Regional Council did not have any legal power to introduce curfews.
Instead, any curfew would need to be legislated by the State Government and if it were, it couldn’t be for an individual town – it would need to apply across the State.
Cr Duff said she thought it was unlikely the State Government would introduce such legislation because it would impact too many innocent young people.
“Young people coming back from a travelling sporting event or working late at a takeaway, for example, would be breaking the law if a curfew was introduced,” she said.
“Police have the power to round up young people out at night, and they do exercise it.
“Curfews can also be put on juvenile offenders as a condition of bail.
“This system targets individual offenders, not innocent young people.”
Cr Duff said the best way for Murgon residents concerned about crime to express their views was to attend Neighbourhood Watch meetings.
Police brief the meetings on what has been happening in the area and update them on cases they were currently investigating.
The first Murgon Neighbourhood Watch meeting for 2017 will be held at the Murgon Police Station at 5:30pm on Friday, February 20.
Murgon Neighbourhood Watch meets every two months throughout the year, and new members are very welcome.
