March 13, 2019
The Murgon Business and Development Association (MBDA) has called on the State Government to provide the town with more help to tackle juvenile crime.
It wants the courts to hand out stiffer punishments to juvenile offenders, and parents of offenders to lose child support payments when their children are held in detention.
In a letter sent to the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and copied to Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, the MBDA has demanded the State Government take immediate action on the number of crimes being committed by children in the Murgon district.
“We demand the ridiculous situation where an offender has to serve one-third or less of the sentence handed down in the courts be abolished,” the MBDA’s letter says.
“While different programs are implemented by the government, it does not make our offending youth attend – they just laugh about it.
“Our police are getting no government support whatsoever in handling this ever-increasing crime rate, or stopping these youths reoffending – sometimes the same day or night.
“Band-aid solutions are not acceptable.”
The MBDA says children as young as eight are wandering the streets from dark to early morning.
“Parents should not be given any child support payments for children while they are in detention,” the MBDA’s letter says.
“Our business houses have had to pay extraordinary repair bills and insurance premium increases with no sign of compensation.”
The MBDA says increasing crime has included car stealing, break and enter to both businesses and homes, and threats of violence, sometimes with weapons.
The group laments there has been little punishment or restitution meted out by the courts.
“As a result, it has now been stated by our local doctor that should one of these offenders break into his surgery, he will shut it down and walk away,” the letter says.
“As a combined force, the government should listen if they wish to serve us in the future.”
Very sad when a shopkeeper can identify the child who broke into their premises on the weekend wandering up and down the footpath two days later. They had been arrested and released to do it all again.
A great little town being ripped apart. We all see the police getting around during the day time. Let’s hope they can be on the beat from 10:00pm to 6:00am constantly walking around the CBD in groups of four. That may be the deterrent.
Bleeding heart magistrates and courts who send them straight back to the streets are not the answer.
In my opinion, appeasement never works.