High-visibility, proactive policing has put the squeeze on serious repeat offenders across Queensland and resulted in more than 250 offenders being charged with almost 400 crimes in 20 days.

Former Police Officer and Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, said Operation Marshall was already delivering results; a fact that highlighted missed opportunities over the last decade that could have resulted in fewer crimes and fewer victims.

“Operation Marshall is a $31 Million investment in tackling crime focussed on enabling Police to be proactive rather than waiting for crime to be committed,” Mr Last said.  “I know, from experience, that those proactive activities, especially when they are high visibility, deters crime and allows us to deliver a zero-tolerance approach to repeat offenders.”

“Over the last few years of the previous government we saw the number of offenders who became repeat offenders increase year on year.  That happened because there were no consequences for their actions and because the Police service wasn’t resourced to disrupt and deter.”

“Turning around the results of 10 years of weakened laws is not something you achieve overnight, as much as I wish we could.  With tougher laws, improved early intervention and rehabilitation, and a boosted Police presence, we’ve drawn a line in the sand on a decade-long youth crime crisis.”

“There is no better deterrent for crime than a visible Police presence and that is what we are delivering.  The former government refused to resource our Police to be proactive and, if they had, it’s most likely that we would have seen far less crime and far fewer victims.”

Mr Last said the success of proactive policing was not only proven by history but was also a key part of the recently completed 100-day review undertaken by the Police Commissioner.

“The Police Commissioner began the review under the former government and sought feedback from more than 500 frontline officers,” he said.  “The review isn’t a political document, it’s a ‘warts and all’ look into achieving the best outcomes for Police and for our communities.”

“To say that the thin blue line was becoming thinner is an understatement.  Police numbers were effectively going backwards and that makes being proactive and cracking down on repeat offenders almost impossible.”

“The Crisafulli government’s priority is about boosting boots on the ground, especially where they can have the biggest impact, and resourcing our Police properly.  Early intervention and rehabilitation are available but, when it comes to serious repeat offenders, we need Police officers to hold them to account and that is what we are delivering.”

“We promised Queenslanders that we would improve safety, and we will do that by resourcing the services that we rely on to deter and respond to crime across the state.  Queenslanders have the right to feel safe regardless of where they live, whether it’s the cities or smaller communities like the Burdekin.”

“This government has, and will continue to, deliver the funding and resources needed to put an end to the youth crime crisis for once and for all.”