Almost a year on from the official launch of a Gold Coast police initiative designed to keep at-risk and homeless young people safe, Police Minister Mark Ryan has visited its base at the Broadbeach Police Station.
Street CRED – which stands for Collaborate, Re-Engage, Empower and Deter – is a partnership between police, the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women and other non-government agencies.
The program involves reaching out to at-risk and homeless young people, helping to keep them safe and out of trouble.
Street CRED sees three QPS officers, along with two officers from the Department of Child Safety, a Department of Youth Justice worker, two representatives from the Gold Coast Youth Service and a G:link representative hit the beat every Wednesday between 4pm and 10pm.
The group attends locations where vulnerable youth are known to frequent and engages with them to identify kids in need of help, directing them towards appropriate support services and following up with them in the days afterwards.
The program was developed in June 2018 to address the issue of youth congregating in Surfers Paradise mall, but was quickly expanded due to its success, before it was officially launched by Minister Ryan in August last year.
From June 2018 to June 2019, the program has resulted in 830 engagements with 224 individuals.
Minister Ryan said police want to make absolutely sure that vulnerable young people are not out on the streets.
"This is about early intervention which is in the interests of not only the young people concerned but also the wider community.
"It's about identifying at-risk young people before it's too late and giving them the support they need to make better decisions.
"Police and social workers can provide help by reconnecting young people with their home or by finding them a place of safety with assistance from a relevant service provider," Minister Ryan said.
"For many of these kids, the only interactions they have ever had with police have been negative – so the focus of this program is on engaging with them and building up a level of trust.
Member for Gaven, Meaghan Scanlon, said by having police available and visible, the aim is to make young people feel comfortable about reaching out for help - particularly if they have been hesitant to do so in the past.
"It is hoped that this kind of early intervention will be beneficial to them in the long term – with an aim to keep them safe, out of trouble and ultimately off the streets for good.
'"This kind of multi-agency approach achieves results, we've already seen that, and it is terrific that progress like this is happening on the Gold Coast," Ms Scanlon said.
