A Queensland Police special crime taskforce has charged 25 young people with a total of 102 offences during its latest deployment in the South Burnett region.
The week-long Taskforce Guardian operation ran from November 14 to November 21 and targeted high-risk youth offending in key areas such as Cherbourg, Murgon, Kingaroy and Wondai.
Most offences related to property crime and bail matters, including 18 counts of unlawful entry, nine counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, 35 charges related to other property offences, one robbery charge, three counts of assault, 16 counts of breach of bail and 20 other offences.
The deployment conducted 15 high-visibility patrols at local licenced premises, industrial areas, near schools and other areas connected to recent property crime matters and anti-social behaviour.
The Taskforce, in conjunction with local detectives and expert Youth Justice workers, also completed 13 street checks and engaged with a number of local businesses and community members.
South Burnett Patrol Group Inspector Scott Stahlhut said the Taskforce strengthened the local police response to youth crime.
“Having this rapid-response arm of the State Flying Squad at our disposal allows us to saturate problem areas and assist our local police with serious repeat juvenile offenders, strengthening our capabilities to disrupt youth offending,” he said.
“Safety is our number one priority and we’re putting these property crime offenders on notice.”
The Taskforce works with key support services and local resources to engage at-risk youth with relevant programs, focusing on health, education, disability services and First Nations initiatives.
The borderless nature of Taskforce Guardian allows the dedicated team of police and youth justice workers to deploy any time, where support is needed most, Queensland Police said in a statement.
