The Mackay Youth Co-Responder Team (YCRT) has completed more than 5,000 engagements as it marks three years of working to intervene in the lives of at-risk young people and tackle the issue of youth offending.
The YCRT is a joint initiative between the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Youth Justice, which brings together a police officer and a youth justice professional to proactively engage at-risk young people and their families and refer them to services to address the underlying issues contributing to their offending behaviour.
Mackay YCRT launched in March 2021, and in the three years since has achieved 2,089 direct face-to-face engagements with young people and 2,943 engagements with family, guardians, and other support networks.
Minister for Police and Community Safety Mark Ryan said, “The safety of Queenslanders is our first priority, and it’s initiatives like the Youth Co-Responder model which shows the dedicated work government agencies are doing together to reduce offending and protect the public.
“While just one tactic in the fight against youth crime, we know that early intervention has the power to stop at-risk young people from going down the road towards a life of crime.
Vulnerable young people are also connected with the services they need to turn their lives around, including those that assist with housing, health, domestic and family violence, education, and employment.
Mackay District Officer, Superintendent Graeme Paine said, “While officers are on the ground proactively protecting the public and arresting serious repeat offenders, our Youth Co-Responder Teams are in the background doing the work to prevent at-risk young people from heading down that path to begin with.
“Every time our Youth Co-Responder Teams engage with a young person, not only is it an opportunity to direct them away from offending, but also to check on their welfare and what support they need to contribute positively to our community.
“Through building rapport and fostering positive relationships with the young people of Mackay, we can help intervene and prevent future offending, to enhance community safety.
The Mackay Youth Co-Responder Team (YCRT) with Minister for Police and Community Safety Mark Ryan and Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert
