06 Sep STATE GOVERNMENT’S CRIME SOLUTIONS TAINTED BY ROSE-COLOURED GLASSES

Despite the State Government’s hollow claims of progress on the relentless crime wave wreaking havoc in North Queensland, the reality on the ground tells a different story, according to Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter.

“Mount Isa has become a playground for brazen youth criminals,” Mr Katter said following a ram raid this week that targeted a newsagency owned by Mayor Peta MacRae for the second time.

“This attack, amid a major police operation which has allegedly ‘saturated’ the region with extra police, is proof enough that the Government’s approach is failing spectacularly.”

While Mr Katter welcomed the nine-day deployment of extra police to Mount Isa, which ended this week, he made it clear that it was nothing more than a Band-Aid for a bullet wound.

“We wouldn’t need these high-scale, multi-level, costly operations if real, effective solutions, like the KAP’s Castle Law and Send ‘em Bush policies were in place,” he said.

“When we’re told by the bureaucrats there’s a reduction in crime, we need to verify this with reality.

“That reAlity is, not so long ago we didn’t have shop owners repeatedly targeted by youth vandals or schools being terrorised in Mount Isa, we didn’t have people in Hughenden waking up to their caravan being dragged down the road by car thieves.

“Tinkering around the edges and cherry-picking statistics won’t cut it, especially when so much goes unreported due to the widespread apathy about Government intervention.”

Mayor MacRae expressed her frustration with the continuous spike in crime and Government inaction.

“It is disappointing for all businesses that have been targeted by crime. As long as the laws remain as they are, we will continue to see this repeated in our community until it is no longer viable to be in business,” she said.

Mr Katter added that the situation would continue to worsen until something was done.

“Youth crime is escalating at an alarming rate and will continue to become worse until the State Government adopts the KAP’s policies,” he said.

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