A 77 year old woman is allegedly threatened with a knife by a 12 year old at a local shopping centre and told to hand over her car keys. Locking herself in her car, she calls police and the youth and his 13 year old accomplice are soon arrested.

A BMW driver is followed home and allegedly bashed with a hammer for his keys and car stolen.

A 75 year old man is allegedly bashed and critically injured outside the city's main shopping centre just after 5.00pm.

Just another couple of weeks in Queensland's garden city, Toowoomba. 92 cars were stolen in December 2022 with over 700 stolen in 2022. 34 cars were stolen in the first two weeks of 2023.

Youth crime in Queensland is nothing new. I recall helping on a matter as a summer student with a small law firm in the late 1980s. Several teens thought the path to riches was by knocking over the local milkman at 3.00am while he was delivering to a primary school. They escaped with just loose change. Balaclavas knitted by their girlfriends were discarded in a nearby garden. Police driving past a local park the next day were amazed when they stopped next to the youths and one asked "how did you find us so quickly?". They may not have been the brightest in their class.

The apparent escalation in home invasions and car theft in recent years is quite extraordinary. The quest for people's cars and the notoriety of posting one's exploits on social media seems never ending. On the victim side, there are daily reports of multiple break-ins and attempted break-ins by groups of youths. So far, the Government's proposed increased maximum sentences do not seem to have been a deterrent.

Resolving youth crime is a complex task and not my field of expertise. There are organisations trying to turn troubled youths' lives around, including some in Toowoomba. Police say that it is a minority of offenders who continue to flout the law - around 400 offenders across Queensland. Judging by the reports on social media and in the news media, they are quite busy.

One of the most shocking recent images is that of a youth dressed in black and brandishing a machete walking up a suburban driveway in Toowoomba in the middle of the afternoon. That may be one of the defining images of the crisis.

Residential property landlords must deal with the costs associated with break-ins, attempted break-ins and rising insurance costs. Despite low vacancy rates, landlords who wish to retain tenants must consider upgrades to security screens, installing security systems and engaging security services. These costs need to be recovered at a time when landlords face criticism for increasing rents and The Greens attempt to introduce rent freeze laws.

Commercial property landlords face similar security upgrade costs and also risk shoppers going elsewhere. As one commentator said in relation to violent crime in Brisbane's Queen St mall - if people have to look over their shoulder and view every stranger with suspicion, they will simply go elsewhere.

Perhaps that is the dilemma facing the 2023 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. Will tourists visit if the city becomes better known for its carnival of crime?

Options for Reducing and Preventing Youth Crime

February 2023

The content of this publication is intended to provide a general overview on matters which may be of interest. It is not intended to be comprehensive. It does not constitute advice in relation to particular circumstances nor does it constitute the provision of legal services, legal advice or financial product advice.