Queensland Police say they are committed to “breaking the cycle” of juvenile offending as the state continues to grapple with its scourge of youth crime, with two shocking incidents being witnessed within the span of hours over the weekend.
QPS confirmed the arrests of four teenagers on Monday morning who were charged with the unlawful use of a motor vehicle – among other offences – after stealing a car and taking it on a joyride through Greater Brisbane.
An Audi hatchback was first allegedly stolen from a western Brisbane property in Bardon early on Saturday.
Upon being notified of the alleged theft later that night, police were able to track the car’s location and engaged in a pursuit both on-ground and aerially through a PolAir helicopter.
The teenagers sped through the areas of Logan, Pine Rivers, and throughout north and south Brisbane while being chased, prompting police to deploy a tyre deflation device to bring the car to a halt.
Despite a successful tyre deflation, however, police said the group continued travelling “on all four rims” along a highway before eventually coming to a stop in Carseldine.
“While the offenders were still being pursued by police, they were livestreaming from the vehicle and one of the juvenile offenders was making threats to commit further offences and steal a further vehicle,” Acting Detective Superintendent Craig Williams told the media on Monday.
“As a result, police took tactical action to stop that vehicle. All four were then taken into custody at the scene.”
Among the group of teens – including a 15-year-old girl, two boys aged 16 and 17, and an 18-year-old man – two were confirmed to be “serious repeat offenders”, with a third being a “prolific” re-offender already wanted by police on several warrants at the time of the alleged Saturday crime.
“One of those offenders is a significant offender… and has been charged with five burglaries, seven unlawful uses, and a multitude of other property offences,” Det Supt Williams said.
“That offender was wanted at the time on five arrest warrants, four property offences, and was actively being targeted by police.”
In a subsequent incident the same night, three youths were arrested after allegedly carrying out an armed robbery at a unit complex in the northern Gold Coast suburb of Pimpama.
The ordeal saw a 53-year-old woman threatened with knives before being robbed of her keys by the juveniles, who fled the scene on foot.
The alleged offenders – two boys and a girl – are aged 12, 13, and 15.
Kellie Hodge, the victim of the robbery, said she was left “really shocked” by the incident, especially given that the offenders were children and had been waiting for her to return home from her evening walk.
“They threatened my dog with a scalpel, down on his back, pointing towards me and demanded my keys,” she told the Today show on Monday.
“At first I resisted, until the second child ran up to me with another scalpel and just pulled the keys off my neck… it all happened within seconds, and it was quite frightening.”
Ms Hodge said she had spoken to the youth before being attacked, who seemed “polite at first”.
“I am still trying to wrap my head around it being children… it’s really shocked me – I am not going to be able to trust anyone now,” she said.
Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime, Andrew Massingham, said the state police force was actively working to combat the crisis and that its “number one priority” in 2024 was to ensure community safety.
(SKY NEWS)
