Locking up young people doesn’t create safer communities, Queensland children’s advocate says

Queensland police have announced another crackdown on youth crime in Cairns, which a children’s advocate says will not help with public safety. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Locking up young people makes the community less safe, one of Queensland’s leading children’s advocates said, as police announced another crackdown on youth offenders in Cairns.

Guardian Australia reported on Monday that a significant number of alleged victims uncovered during a police investigation into the exploitation of vulnerable children in Cairns, are also the targets of a government crackdown on youth crime.