The thin blue line is becoming perilously thinner in Queensland, with shocking revelations that frontline police numbers have dropped by a further 120 officers in just five short months.
An LNP Question on Notice to the Youth Justice Reform Select Committee Inquiry has exposed the fact that police numbers fell from 12,225 to 12,105 between June and November last year.
Alarmingly, in the past 18 months, Queensland’s police service has shrunk by 322 frontline officers, in the middle of a deadly youth crime crisis.
This is despite Labor promising to deliver an additional 1450 frontline police by 2024.
Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause said that across the Electorate, from Harrisville to Boonah to Tamborine Mountain and Canungra, police were stretched with an increased workload and fewer officers to do that work.
”It’s reached the point where crimes like break-ins and vehicle thefts simply cannot be investigated, despite the massive impact these crimes can have on law-abiding residents,” Mr Krause said.
”Even worse, proactive, preventative policing – to try and prevent crime – is quickly becoming a thing of the past because of a lack of resources.”
LNP Leader, David Crisafulli, said the Queensland Youth Crime Crisis was created by Labor’s weak laws and fewer police.
“Only the LNP has the right priorities for making our community safe,” he said.
“The LNP has put solutions on the table to start tackling Queensland’s youth crime crisis, including creating consequences for actions, unshackling the judiciary by removing detention as a last resort and delivering gold standard early intervention.”
Mr Krause said: “I have consistently highlighted the problems confronting our hard-working police officers, campaigning publicly and within Parliament for more staff to be stationed throughout our region.
