Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said, ‘I am very hopeful and very buoyed by the stats I am starting to see, but we know there is a lot more work to do; recent polls in the community show a lot of people feel unsafe.

‘Crime stats are important as indicators of our approach to youth crime, allowing us to change our strategies if they are needed, but to me, the overarching measure is ensuring that people feel safe and are safe.’

Matt Notts, CEO of the Ted Noffs Foundation that runs the Townsville Street University, an early intervention service for at-risk young people, said it offered activities, classes and diversionary services that ‘helped reduce the burden on police.’

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Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy. Photo credit: David Clark