A group of just 57 repeat offenders was behind more than half of all youth crime in Tasmania last year, prompting police to launch a new targeted crackdown in one of the state’s crime hotspots.
This week, shoppers in Glenorchy may notice more officers patrolling the streets on foot as part of Taskforce Respect, a new initiative focused on stamping out repeat youth offending.
The taskforce officially launched on Monday and will concentrate on Glenorchy, Moonah and Claremont, with a spotlight on known offenders driving much of the area’s crime.
“Our message to these people is simple, if you are offending in the Glenorchy area, then we will be looking out for you,” Inspector Jason Klug said.
The move comes after a string of recent incidents involving youth gangs that have left locals feeling unsafe.
“Tasmania Police’s high-visibility foot patrols will continue in retail precincts to disrupt and reduce incidents of crime, with a particular focus on known and repeat offenders,” Inspector Klug said.
Officers will employ several tactics including drug detection dogs, CCTV monitoring, and CBD exclusion orders to achieve their goals of creating a safer community environment.
Inspector Klug said the name Taskforce Respect was a deliberate choice, aimed especially at young people.
“Our message is about instilling a basic respect for one another in our community,” he said.
“It is a message, aimed particularly at our youth, in which we say acts of violence and abuse and acts of retail crime and theft, like we have seen in the past, are unacceptable.”
The new taskforce builds on earlier successes like Operation Swipe, which targeted retail theft in Glenorchy late last year and the ongoing Operation Saturate across greater Hobart.
Tasmania Police is working closely with the Glenorchy City Council, local businesses and Metro to address crime and anti-social behaviour in public areas.
Adding to the rollout, police have also deployed a new community outreach van, nicknamed “Poli”, to improve their connection with locals.
“Poli is staffed by members of the community engagement services team, along with local officers, who can discuss local crime issues and provide crime prevention and general advice,” Inspector Klug said.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Simon Behrakis welcomed the stronger police presence.
“As a government, we have work underway to see how we can best address the rise in youth crime. We will not let Tasmania become like Victoria or Queensland,” he said.
But former Glenorchy mayor and now Member of the Legislative Council Bec Thomas says more needs to be done to tackle the root causes.
“The recent spate of serious incidents demonstrate the government needs to do more, sooner, to keep people safe and prevent future generations going down this same path,” Thomas said.
“I am grateful our hard-working Tasmania Police have responded to the recent escalation in violent youth crime, with more resources deployed to proactive patrolling, as I requested.”
Thomas said she has been asking the state government to fund a youth space in Glenorchy “for years” and that it was “well-past time it delivers this”.
“I’m calling on the government to demonstrate its commitment to at-risk youth by funding a youth space in Glenorchy in the upcoming budget,” she said.
