{"id":345014,"date":"2024-03-06T20:19:47","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T10:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=345014"},"modified":"2024-09-20T14:57:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T04:57:49","slug":"the-justice-system-isnt-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/03\/06\/the-justice-system-isnt-working\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Justice System Isn’t Working’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Sports Complex bus was stolen and trashed … it may now have to be written off (Photo: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The damaged bus was abandoned by thieves in the local forestry (Photo: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 6, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The system isn’t working!” That’s the message Cherbourg Council CEO Chatur Zala wants to get out after a string of break-ins and vandalism in the community over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

He has reached out to the media in frustration, after almost every major building in Cherbourg has been targeted recently.<\/p>\n

Everything from the Cherbourg Radio station and TAFE College to the Gundoo Early Childhood Centre, Cherbourg State School and The Ration Shed have been broken into.<\/p>\n

The Council Chambers was hit again on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Even the Sports Complex bus – wrapped in artwork created by local children and the late Robert “Rocko” Langton – was stolen in the early hours of Sunday morning and trashed.<\/p>\n

Sadly, Mr Zala believes the bus may now have to be written off, meaning children who use the bus to get to sporting events will miss out.<\/p>\n

He said the perpetrators of some of the incidents had been identified and arrested.<\/p>\n

“But they’re just getting out on bail and doing the same thing again,” Mr Zala told southburnett.com.au.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“So that’s why we’re going to the media this time.”<\/p>\n

He said the people involved were aged from 14 through to their 20s.<\/p>\n

“They’ve broken into almost all the buildings in Cherbourg in the last one or two months,” Mr Zala said.<\/p>\n

“We just want the government to listen to us. The system is not working … the bail system, the court system is not helping our community.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

He said the whole Cherbourg community was saying the same thing: “Why are they getting bailed out?”<\/p>\n

Mr Zala said most of the children at Cherbourg were good but there were some who kept on reoffending.<\/p>\n

“They’re not even stealing any stuff. They’re just breaking in … and messing our buildings,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It costs a lot of money to fix.”<\/p>\n

Maintenance workers were being diverted away from other jobs in the community to make emergency repairs every morning.<\/p>\n

“I think the government needs to look at the whole justice system. It’s not working in the whole State,” Mr Zala said.<\/p>\n

“This is not a criticism of the government. We just want a solution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This small community is really struggling and we need help.<\/p>\n

“If we don’t put this out, nothing is going to change. Every night in the community there’s a break-in. Every night … something has to happen.”<\/p>\n

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Cherbourg Council corporate services manager Sam Murray and CEO Chatur Zala … feeling frustrated by the continued break-ins and vandalism (Photo: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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LEFT: Police investigate damage at CRAICCHs\u00a0 RIGHT: Damage at The Ration Shed (Photos: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another smashed window for Council staff to repair, plus goods strewn around (Photos: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Smashed locks create more headaches for workers to repair (Photos: CASC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Security camera vision of a break-in at the Council depot during the early hours of Sunday: <\/strong><\/p>\n