The Police Association of Tasmania says community safety must remain at the centre of the youth crime and detention debate, as frontline officers face growing pressure from repeat young offenders.
Acting President Nick Grubb said police were regularly responding to serious incidents involving the same young people over short periods of time.
“While the vast majority of young Tasmanians do the right thing, our members are increasingly responding to incidents involving repeat youth offenders, including serious property crime, stolen vehicles and violent behaviour,” he said.
“That creates real risks for the public and for the police responding to those incidents.”
The association’s comments follow Greens MP Cecily Rosol calling on the state government to soften its approach to youth crime and cut the number of young people in custody.
New government data shows the average number of young people held daily at Ashley Youth Detention Centre rose 17% in the final quarter of 2025, from 16.2 to 19.
Rosol said the figures showed the government’s policies were making things worse.
“The Liberals need to ditch their ‘tough on crime’ crap and focus on reducing the number of young people locked up,” she said.
“The Liberals’ ‘tough on crime’ approach is failing. It isn’t reducing crime – all it’s doing is seeing more young people locked up.”
While not naming the Greens directly, Grubb made clear the association disagreed.
“Calling for Tasmania to ‘ditch tough on crime’ might make for a headline, but it doesn’t reflect what police and victims see in the community,” he said.
The debate comes amid a series of violent incidents in Hobart’s northern suburbs and Launceston.
On Friday, four males – including a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old – were charged with aggravated armed robbery after an alleged attack on a Moonah convenience store worker.
The worker alleged he was struck with glass bottles and threatened with knives. He was hospitalised and said he was too scared to return to work.
Days earlier, three people were charged over an assault that spilled into Glenorchy’s Northgate shopping centre that sent a man to hospital.
Grubb said the police association supported prevention and early intervention but said consequences for serious offending were also important.
“There absolutely needs to be a strong focus on prevention, early intervention and diversion programs that stop young people entering the criminal justice system in the first place,” he said.
“But when serious offending occurs, there must also be meaningful consequences. Community safety must always remain the priority.”
“Any policy response must recognise the role police play in responding to these incidents and ensure the resources are in place to support effective policing.”
A government spokesperson said Ashley experienced “day-to-day fluctuations” in detainee numbers and the government remained committed to being “tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime”.
The association said it would continue working with the government on policies that balance community safety with addressing the causes of offending.
