It was revealed yesterday that Daniel Andrews former premier of Victoria broke a key 2018 election promise by failing to legislate for tracking devices to be maintained on violent youth offenders in Victoria.
The trail of destruction of Victoria left by Andrews, Pallas and Allan has turned into a tsunami.
Time for this rotten Vic Labor government to go.
The fact that Victoria is broke has nothing to do with it. Yeah right!!!!
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Victorian government’s election pledge to monitor young offenders dumped
The state government has dumped a promise to put electronic monitoring devices on young thugs, saying it’s no longer needed, despite a rise in youth crime.
Mitch Clarke and
Mark Buttler HERALD SUN
January 10, 2024 - 5:00AM
The state government has quietly dumped a promise to put electronic monitoring devices on dangerous young thugs, insisting the measure is now not needed because there are fewer youth offenders.
Leading up to the 2018 election, the government said parolees as young as 16 who had committed serious offences such as murder, rape, home invasions, carjackings or dangerous driving
would be tracked.
Then families and children minister Jenny Mikakos spruiked electronic monitoring as a way to “better protect the community” and as a “constant reminder” to young offenders to comply with their orders.
But legislation announced in July of that year did not pass the parliament before its term ended in November and, once re-elected, the government did not reintroduce it.
Jenny Mikakos spruiked the electronic monitoring at the time as a way to ‘better protect the community’. Picture: AAP Image
This is despite police statistics showing a
30 per cent rise in crimes against persons committed by youths aged 14 to 17 in the year to December.
The force has been running around-the-clock operations to tackle the scourge in the eastern and southeastern suburbs.
Officers attached to the separate Operation Alliance, which runs across Melbourne, arrested 416 known gang members for a combined 1511 offences last year.
Among the worst was a
15-year-old boy arrested 33 times over 135 matters.
There has been a 30 per cent rise in crimes against persons committed by youths aged 14 to 17 in the year to December.
But the government said the tracking tactic was not needed because the situation was different to 2018 when the laws were first proposed.
Former Victoria Police chief commissioner Kel Glare said tracking measures – while not necessarily ankle monitors – were “absolutely essential”.
“These young people should certainly be fitted with a monitoring device because the lessons aren’t being learnt,” Mr Glare said.
“There has to be consequences. These kids see going before the courts and being released back into the community as a badge of honour. They think ‘we got away with it’ and they’ll just do it again.”
One veteran police officer said while crime figures might be stable overall, the kind of serious offending by those who might have been subject to electronic monitoring continued to rise.
“I’d put it into the category of a stocking filler prior to an election that gets forgotten about rather quickly … all about window dressing,” the officer said.
Prominent youth worker Les Twentyman said electronic monitoring was a better alternative to locking up the young.
“We’ve got to try to rehabilitate these people and that doesn’t happen in prison,” he said. “As an alternative to jail, I’d tick off on that every time.”
Youth worker Les Twentyman says electronic monitoring is a superior alternative to locking up the young. Picture: Tony Gough
The Herald Sun has been told among the most prolific young offenders is an influential member of a western suburbs youth gang, which he joined in 2020.
The 17-year-old from Wyndham Vale was charged 10 times last year with offences while on bail, on top of seven armed robbery counts and assaults.
He has been arrested 25 times all together and hit with 132 charges since 2019.
Police intelligence indicates the rate of his gang associates’ law-breaking escalates when he is free.
Opposition police spokesman Brad Battin said the government had backed away from its own promise to protect community safety.
Opposition police spokesman Brad Battin. Picture: Aaron Francis
“Youth crime is continuing to increase at an alarming rate, and the Labor government have failed to deliver on their own commitments to make our communities safer,” he said.
“There are far too many examples of young offenders getting bail or released only to commit more violent crimes.”
A government spokeswoman said Victoria had one of the lowest rates of youth offending and young people in custody across the country.
She said in 2022-23 the independent Youth Parole Board cancelled 30 of 70 parole orders made during the period.
