Queensland police faced criticism this week after it was revealed they had allegedly threatened to raid a government-supported justice rehabilitation camp for Indigenous children, and had twice disrupted local efforts to steer a young boy away from crime.
Police sought to re-arrest the 12-year-old boy, Ricky, in 2021 - who subsequently ran away into the bush, suffering from significant distress and making an attempt on his own life.
In a subsequent incident the following year, the same boy, then 13 years-old, was unexpectedly arrested by police while he was transitioning to another community with the assistance of youth justice and child safety agencies. The purpose of this move was to enhance his chances of successful rehabilitation.
An exclusive special investigation published by The Guardian on Wednesday, "Written Off," revealed police actions in Queensland are hindering young people from breaking the cycle of offending, according to community workers, academics, youth justice employees, and Elders.
Court documents also revealed that another Aboriginal boy, anonymised as "Leo Horan" to protect his identity, experienced more than 100 street checks by the police in Mount Isa.
Magistrate Eoin Mac Giolla Ri expressed concern for Leo, stating that he was "scared of being at home" and caught in a "vicious circle". The magistrate further acknowledged repeated police attention likely contributed to a sense of labeling and negative impact on the boy's well-being.
Despite the Queensland police service's claims of discretion, diversion, and addressing social causes of crime in youth justice, people in regional Queensland believe the reality is far different.
Some parents of children on the "serious repeat offender" list note how police routinely arrive at premises demanding to check on children who live there, making families and communities feel "set upon" and "targeted" by law enforcement.
Jenny Pryor, a Bindal woman and a former commissioner of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, compared the "rounding up" of Indigenous children in Townsville to the removal of members of the Stolen Generations.
Ms Pryor, a regarded Elder in the Townsville community, said there were clear differences in the way Indigenous people were policed, saying there was "one law for this side, and one law for that side".
"Communities are crying out to take back control of their kids but they need the resources to do it," she said.
"But they keep us in welfare, keep us incarcerated, and everyone's got lots of jobs."
According to Peter Malouf, an Indigenous academic from James Cook University in Townsville, government policies have prioritised the police's control over youth justice policy, surpassing other agencies and organisations that were originally established to offer social and community support.
In a statement, Queensland Police said "intervention and rehabilitation for young offenders are crucial in breaking the cycle of crime and delivering long-term change".
"Queensland Police have dedicated resources to deal with the small cohort of serious juvenile recidivist offenders. This cohort is causing a disproportionate amount of harm to community."
"We focus on reducing re-offending through intervention and support beyond detention, including a rigorous intensive multi-agency case management of each of the children in the serious recidivist offender cohort."
