Tasmania Police have launched a series of planned patrols and safety operations across Glenorchy, Moonah and Claremont today following widespread social media warnings of potential youth riots.
The significant police presence comes after viral social media posts claimed up to 200 young people were planning to “run through shopping centres and assault people and ransack shops” in the area.
One widely-shared Facebook post urged residents to avoid Northgate shopping centre and surrounding areas, claiming “the riot squad will be on call but this will not guarantee your safety.”
Police confirmed the increased presence is designed to maintain public safety, encouraging people to report incidents via 131 444 or Triple-Zero for emergencies.
“Police are committed to making sure our public spaces are safe for everyone to enjoy, and antisocial and illegal behaviour in our communities will not be tolerated,” a police spokesperson said.
It is understood police have been contacting managers at stores within the Northgate shopping centre, urging them to have their shutters “ready to deploy” in case of a large-scale incident.
The operation comes amid growing concerns about youth crime in the Glenorchy area, with the state government now considering Queensland-style “adult crime, adult time” laws for serious young offenders.
Police Minister Felix Ellis confirmed the government is examining all options to address what he described as a spike in serious youth offending.
“Our communities are clearly fed up when it comes to youth crime and so are we as a government. We’ll be taking strong action,” Ellis said.
“We’ve seen in Queensland strong success from adult crime, adult time, a reduction of about a third of those serious crimes committed by youth offending.”
Ellis claimed approximately 50 young people are responsible for half of all youth crime in Tasmania.
“One of the worst things that you could do for a young person is to teach them that there are no consequences for their actions,” he said.
The Greens have criticised the proposed approach to youth justice reform, calling them extreme.
