Qld PC Carroll to stand down, page-5

The commissioner and state government have been under increasing pressure over young offenders.

Last week, Commissioner Carroll spoke to cabinet about youth crime, asking the government for more warrantless "wand" search powers, and an extension of GPS ankle monitors on young offenders.

Speaking today, she said the police response to youth crime had been "outstanding".

"It is one of the most vexed and complex issues that we are dealing with," she said.

"It's dangerous, it's escalating and it certainly is one of the biggest focuses of the QPS."

ABC LINK.

imo the Qld Govt has been over-reacting to pressures to "clean up" youth crime. and certainly Govts across the country need to act seriously, but sensibly, to manage the growing coverage of youth crime.

but imo imprisonment of children, particularly locking kids up in holding cells is not a justifiable response - its a traumatising reaction. one almost guaranteed to cause a sense of being victimised and brutalised by police. and this naturally increases the resistance to respecting laws and the rights of others in the community to be safe and not have property damaged.

the actions of Qld laws and policing are counter-productive. similar in WA and NT. I don't know what other states are doing but they don't seem to have the same difficulty.