Premier Roger Cook promises to address youth crime in Geraldton by targeting repeat offenders under 10

Offenders between the ages of five and nine who currently slip through the cracks of the justice system will be targeted in a trial program under a re-elected Labor Government. While in Geraldton on Friday, Premier Roger Cook and Police Minister Paul Papalia promised to invest almost $8 million into this initiative if they are voted back into government. The Premier and Minister were in town to announce a number of election commitments, including releasing WA Labor’s Vision for Geraldton, which pledges to boost housing supply, provide cost of living relief, and invest in healthcare. If re-elected, a Labor Government will also launch a pilot program in Geraldton and Perth that will target vulnerable children under the age of 10 who are often caught up in crime but are below the age of criminal responsibility, therefore let go by police into the community without punishment. The $7.8 million On Track to Thrive program will be trialled, with the departments of Justice, Communities, Education and Health working together to steer children onto the right path by providing intervention and programs where there are currently none. Mr Papalia said Geraldton would be the focus of the pilot program, ensuring youth who were met regularly with police were not left to their own devices. “Agencies will be engaging with support providers to bring together a comprehensive response and do something about the five to nine-year-olds who currently offend, are picked up by police, and at the moment, receive no intervention,” he said. The State Government will invest another $2.1 million to bring the Youth Engagement Program, operated by the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA, to Geraldton, providing culturally secure bail support services for youth between the age of 10 and 17. It will also invest in more bail supports for non-Aboriginal youth in Geraldton and Perth. Mr Papalia said half of prolific, high harm juvenile offenders have been dealt with by police between the ages of five and nine and early intervention was crucial to preventing them from becoming hardened criminals. “We recognise that there’s a small number of high harm offenders doing a lot of damage, not necessarily being dealt with by the courts appropriately. We’re responding to that,” he said. “This meshes nicely with the juvenile bail reform package that we announced last week, which focuses on the small number of high harm offenders who are currently subject to a bit of a revolving door through the courts.” As part of the reforms promised by Labor, high harm juvenile offenders will have their trials heard within 28 days, decisions to grant bail can be reviewed, young offenders on curfew will be monitored with new technology and responsible adults will be penalised for failing to report breaches of bail. When asked what difference summer crime crackdown Operation Regional Shield had made since it was launched in Geraldton in November, Mr Papalia confirmed there was a 7 per cent reduction in family domestic violence and crimes against a person in the Mid West-Gascoyne. “Regional Shield isn’t a specific type of individual or number of police officers . . . whatever is required can be afforded to anywhere in the regions,” he said.