YOUTH CRIME  – MEA CULPA.

YOUTH CRIME – MEA CULPA.

The reports in the Herald Sun 24th November ‘24 about the escalation of violent crime by juveniles, some as young as ten, is a rude awakening for a Government that is by and large responsible.

We can expect platitudes and lame excuses, but action is improbable, and anything the Government does will skirt around the reality that they have made some major ‘faux pas in managing the youth issues.

First and foremost, the Bail Laws are a significant contributor.

The definition of insanity can be easily applied to the Victorian Government’s posture on youth crime matters.

‘Doing the same thing tomorrow and expecting a different result.’

How many of the brainiacs within the Government could have concluded that arresting a child for a crime and putting them immediately back into the same environment that caused them to offend in the first place was a brilliant idea? This is beyond reasonable comprehension.

Those responsible must be removed from their roles.

It is akin to saving a drowning child, only to throw them back in the water.

It looks eerily like the Government is focused on deliberately guiding our society towards a lawless state; we can only assume some misguided ideological plan to destroy the community fabric for an obscure reason has overtaken them, guiding them towards a catastrophe of violent crime we have never before been subject to.

The second and equal act of insanity was raising the age of criminal intent from ten to twelve years, so all the upcoming young thugs are taught crime has no consequences and they can be just like their older peers enjoying the criminal lifestyle.

This crime apprenticeship scheme must be reversed.

The major flaw in this initiative was that no thought was applied to what was to be done with the younger juveniles, as their path to criminality is well laid before they come into contact with the courts.

To make a start, the Government must undertake a ‘mea culpa’; although that concept would be foreign to them, they might wrest back some respect from the community.

There is no shame in admitting a mistake if it was done with the best intentions.

However, there is not only shame but damnation to know an error has been made and ignore it, particularly when the damage is wreaked not only on the community but also on the children the laws were supposed to protect.

There is a third flaw that contributes significantly to the crime tsunami of juveniles, perhaps more important than the others, and that is the performance, or lack thereof, of those in the Government employ (the Government’s own people) who are charged with delivering youth services.

We have seen multiple reports of this systemic failure of this Government’s function, with children who are put into care receiving nothing of the sort.

Poorly supervised and allowed to come and go as they please, no doubt to be told they are naughty, but get to keep their phones and their freedom, albeit their behaviour is outrageously dangerous to the community and themselves.

And finally, the role of the courts must not be overlooked. This lack of holding criminals to account, a concept apparently not applicable to children, can be sheeted home to the judiciary, who, by any measure, have failed in their role, particularly in relation to children.

It is the role of the courts to administer the law, not be social engineers—a social experiment by the courts that has been a miserable failure.

Placing a child in detention to protect the community and the child is in an environment the courts are not comfortable with; is not their prerogative. The Government is responsible for providing sufficient secure services for juveniles to support the Courts.

It would help if some accountability was applied to jurists.

This would not challenge the independence of the courts but may make the jurists more focused on their role and its effectiveness.

Rather than closing jails, which will incur huge ongoing costs to the State, why not convert them into juvenile facilities? After all, it is just a building; what happens inside makes it a jail or a juvenile facility.

All the contracts to operate jails slated for closure are in place and will cost a bomb to extricate from, so it makes real sense to modify rather than close them and the savings for the state will be substantial in real terms, both social and fiscal.

It won’t be long before our litigious community starts acting against the Government for the Government’s failure, resulting in the deaths and trauma inflicted by juveniles on their loved ones.

That could be a good thing, forcing the government to act.

Unfortunately, the only consequence will be a more significant financial burden on the community settling claims against the Government and the other social and financial imposts the juvenile problem imposes on all of us while the Government continues to ‘wash its hands’ of the problem, doing their ‘Pontius Pilate’ impersonation.

Saluting their Service

Saluting their Service

18th Febuary 2023

As November 2023 closes in, marking sixty years since the enactment of the National Service Act 1964 requiring 20-year-old males, if selected by the scientific birth date marble out-of-the-barrel method, to serve in the army for two years reduced to eighteen months in 1971, followed by three years in the Army reserve.
During the period of National Service, one hundred and thirty-four serving Victoria Police Constables were conscripted.

Fifty-two of that number served overseas in war zones, predominantly in Vietnam.

The remainder served with Australia in multiple tasks, principally in the Provost Corp, now called Military Police, part of the Joint Military Police Unit.

There were a number of issues confronting these Police that were grossly unfair.

As soon as a serving member announced he had been called up, many police locations treated them with disdain as they would be one member down. Replacements were not provided, no matter how many Police on a Station were called up.

“It’s all right for you swanning off in the army for two years while we carry you.”

Somehow that was the fault of the Nasho.

There was no support for the members called up other than to continue to work their roster until enlistment day.

That many had to work at violent anti -Vietnam War demonstrations, it did not occur to the Police administration of the time to make any considerations given what the members were about to embark on. National Service with the real prospect of being sent to the Vietnam War Zone as fifty-two were.

We were given enough time to hand in our baton and handcuffs the day before we reported to the Army Swan Street barracks to commence our Military Service.

At least the administration was consistent – they never made contact during the Nasho’s Service, and when they returned, it was a repeat of when they left.

‘Where have you been – on leave?’

The vast majority of National Servicemen had their army pay made up to their civilian level but not the State of Victoria. Sir Arthur Rylah, the then Chief Secretary and Deputy Premier of Victoria turned down that request.

To add insult, the National Servicemen were required to maintain their Police uniforms for the duration of their army service; at their cost, their uniform allowance was stopped.

They were also disadvantaged by their superannuation.

Not only were payments taken out of their Army pay during conscription, but then on return had to back pay contributions due to salary increments in Police pay whilst absent. As a result, many National Servicemen were placed under financial stress.

The Vietnam War was very unpopular with a certain vocal cohort who demonstrated relentlessly and violently, and many of us were straight back on the front line when we returned.

With all that, the National Servicemen generally completed their police careers, many attaining high ranks and very successful careers serving the State.

But none of them was bitter.

The one thing that was irksome to the National Servicemen was they were never acknowledged as a group by Victoria Police. However, Chief Commissioner Shane Patton APM  corrected this after sixty years.

The Service at the Police Chapel to dedicate an Honour Board for those Police members was held on the 18th of February, 2023.

The Community Advocacy Alliance (CAA) Saluting their Service project team played a pivotal role in the design and facilitation of the Service.

The Honour Board unveiled and dedicated at the Service is now installed in the foyer of “C’ Block at the Academy.

With support from the ADF, the spectacle exceeded the expectations of the seventy-plus Veterans and widows of Veterans and their families who attended and were entertained by the military and police vehicle displays, including a Divisional Van and a flyover by aircraft, both from that era.

The five-hundred guests were treated to a service full of the ceremony that only organisations like the ADF and the Police can display. The speeches were poignant, as was the presentation of the Police and military colours. The military bugler sounding the last post was particularly moving and contributed to the overall effectiveness of the planning for the event. Something many of the Veterans has commented on post the event.

From the feedback from Veterans, the Service well exceeded their expectations, with many saying they are very glad to have made an effort, particularly to hear the Chief Commissioner deliver an apology for the treatment of the National Servicemen by past police administrations.

Veterans who want to visit the Academy and view the Board now in situ can contact the CAA to make arrangements.

A selection of pictures can be viewed at https://beachg.wixsite.com/vicpolvietnam/main-slide-show