A police officer with 35 years of experience in the field spoke to Neil Breen this morning about repeat young offenders. 

Darren called in after hearing Neil speak to Ray Hadley on the issue.

“Years ago, whether it’s juvenile or adult, there [was] generally a three strike rule,” he told Neil.

“The first time they did some break and enters for instance, they get a bit of a slap on the wrist, maybe a community service order, next time they did some break and enters, they get a suspended sentence, and the next time they did it – the third time – they hit the bin.

“If you have a look at those types of simple rules and if the justice system stuck to that type of scenario, I don’t think it’s real hard … to get a reasonable outcome the community expects.”

Darren said while teens deserve a chance to prove they will not reoffend, protecting the community comes first.

However, he recommended residents take preemptive steps to protect their property. This included ensuring home entry points and cars are kept locked.

“All these small steps will help to reducing this issue.”

Press PLAY below to hear Darren’s comments in full 

Image: Queensland Police Service