Thread: A townsville night before christmas!

I thought you were talking about Melbourne. It is not much different here.

Keep Safe.

This is a great poem Chris but sorry for your situation mate
Wishing you the best in your unfortunate situation

Unfortunately a sign of the times, it's happening everywhere. Wonder what would happen if it was the magistrates places that happened to.
Kryn

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

Unfortunately a sign of the times, it's happening everywhere. Wonder what would happen if it was the magistrates places that happened to.
Kryn

Really? I accept that in some places there are problems and I sympathise with that, but I read that in most places property crime is falling and has been for a long time. That's what I see around me too - so I don't believe it's selective statistics.

When we were kids (1960s) no-one even locked their door. Then the Vietnam war came to us with American GIs on RandR bringing heroin with them. In the 70s things went nuts - break ins everywhere. The heroin epidemic and the need to pay for it. The 80s were similar but tapering. Now break-ins and local thefts are pretty rare in this typical Sydney middle-distance suburb. We've been here since 1994 and only had one attempted break-in in that time (and one other incident - someone vandalised our letterbox in the early days).

I think not much else has happened in the street - I think our experience is fairly typical for the the street.

Are we just lucky ? Or is it like weather forecasting where everyone thinks things are worse then they are - never stand back to judge what's really going on?

Just asking cos I really don't know. What are other people's experiences?

Arron

Ps, not trying to trivialise your experiences Dengy, I have no doubt you are telling it as it is.

Hi Arron, I think you ought to read this account below one of the guards at the Townsville Juvenile Detention Centre. These kids are just some of the ring leaders of our indigenous youth gangs, and it shows how they treat people in our community. Most of them are on remand, awaiting their day in court, when they will be released back into the community! How would you like to work there? How would you like to live here, in some of the above mentioned suburbs?

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/crime-court/it-started-with-an-argument/news-story/324eff22c3f51cfbf2dffba1518d3861

I'm sure that 'indigenous' youth aren't the sole perpetrators of crime in Townsville!...MM

No MM, but they make up 99.5% of the gangs that roam the streets at all hours here, from 5 yr olds to 15 yr olds and older. It really is a serious problem, an epidemic, and the community is worried. Police are seriously outnumbered, and cannot pursue them if in stolen cars. Some neighbourhoods even have vigilante groups on the lookout for these gangs.

The white guys causing trouble are usually the ice addicts looking for money, and in an older age bracket, usually working alone

Sadly there are places in the United States and probably Canada like this. There are places that have no law enforcement because no police officer will go into certain territories. The world is changing.
We don't see anything like that where we live here in Canada but things certainly are changing up this way also.
In my opinion, which doesn't mean much at all, I think modern technology has superseded it's expectations with devastating consequences. There isn't enough real life interaction between humans any more. When we were kids we played outside all the time in every season. The games were endless; red light-green light, Red Rover, Nikki Nikki 9 doors, hide and seek, hockey, tobogganing, skating, snowman and snow fort building, skipping, baseball, double Dutch, cards ( got 'em, got 'em, need 'em) jumpsies, rollerskating, biking.... The list was endless. Inside we had just as many games and entertaining things to do. There was a barrel of monkeys, Spirograph, snakes n ladders, monopoly, card games, hot rods, barbies, painting, play do, plastercine, paper mache, darts, pin the tail on the donkey, checkers, slinky, etc., etc., etc.,
Games we made to encourage real interaction. When you played nice, you made friends and got invited back so there was incentive to play nice and be fair.
These days there is no incentive to play nice and be fair. Most sources of entertainment involve being plugged in online where there are all kinds of killing games and things that should never be seen and we wonder what went wrong. Kids don't need to really interact. There aren't any entertaining games where they score big for being kind to one another and now many parents are either divorced or single so don't have the same hands on time to spend with them. . Most parents work outside the home. Home life just isn't what it used to be so why wouldn't we expect these kids to be messed up? They haven't actually learned to socialize or learned real human empathy. It's truly sad.
I'm a total introvert but even I had a generous amount of social interaction as child. It's almost like that stage of innocence disappeared.
Note: And not to say that if today's kids just played how WE used to that things would all be good. I don't have any answers. It's troubling indeed.

If the problem is as serious as you suggest,perhaps a community petition to the 'Police Minister' seeking help, might be a good start.
Voice your concerns to the 'Premier' too.
Vigilante groups will not solve the problem...only inflame it!
Drugs,particularly 'ICE' are certainly major drivers of crime(s) in our communities
They (drugs) do not discriminate ... skin color, age, demographic are irrelevant factors
A very complex issue indeed and causing collateral damage all around this great country...MM

When I was a kid, and unlucky enough to get caught by the local copper, you'd get an ear full from him then he'd take you home and speak with your old man, and that was worse, you got a couple of lashes with the belt, not enough to do any damage but enough that it hurt. To top it off, there was no pocket money for the month, and you'd be given jobs to do as well.
Now days, the kids give the coppers an ear full, if you ended up in front of a magistrate, he'd give you a suspended sentence, on top of the 20 or so that you've already accumulated, told not to do it again and then go and do exactly what you wanted again. Next week, back again and the story goes on.
I see a lot of the problem being the judicial system failing, the judges hand out pathetic sentences for major crimes, 5 years for murdering someone, because of time already served. They're out in 2 years on parole for good behavior!!!! Not enough room in the prisons is a lot of the excuses. My son was in there, for DUI and driving without a license, he got caught several times, he said it was like a holiday camp in there. He chose to do the work program because he was bored, they worked hard did their quota and were then allowed to go back to the units, not cells!!
Where's the incentive to behave, free medical, free board, clothing, washing done, what more could you want? Besides freedom to come and go.
We're constantly being told there is no money for the Schools, Health, Police Dept, that's why they're handing out fines etc, to get the money for their wages, instead of from the coffers of the Govt.
In Murray Bridge, we have 2 officers on duty in the evening/night, we have a school opposite where I live and if there's vandalism at the school, 4 hours later, we have an officer turn up. When asked how come so long, we're told 2 officers to cover about 1000 square kilometres!!!! That's why there are so many gangs around, because they know that if they're unlucky enought to get caught, there's not a great deal that can be done with them.
Kryn

When I was a kid , parents actually HAD power. If I did anything wrong I'd know about it. My dad would beat me black & blue. At almost 6 feet , over 200 pounds, THAT was scary enough for me. He once broke his hand belting me. Yes it was excessive and my parents could have been put away but they weren't and neither was I. Mind you I turned out pretty messed up but I'm certainly not out looking for trouble.


The government took the power away from the parents and " KIDS RULE" these days. And how's that working?
Obviously it's NOT!


Discipline is a very important part of development and it's somehow missing. Kids whine & complain at the least bit of discomfort so there are NO CONSEQUENCES and if being locked up in the slammer is comparable to a 'sleep over' then it's no wonder it's not working.


When homeless people are making the choice to do the crime and do the time in jail cause it's more kushy than the streets, then it's no wonder we are where we are. Jail time shouldn't be rewarding in the least. Why not put them to work and HARD WORK??
Our taxes are what keep these things running. WE are ALL paying for this ALTERNATIVE lifestyle of 'crime that pays off.'


I'd never understood why the government runs jails and prisons like they do. It's supposed to be a place that people want to avoid at all costs yet it's not. It's a vacation spot for many. Why not put these people to work with hard, tough labour? Get them cleaning up the streets, washing and painting the buildings they vandalize so other kids see them and realize that breaking the law has consequences that aren't favourable.

The amount of work that could be done is staggering. There could be many incentives to good behaviour besides being let our early. We could make this work BUT unfortunately there are too many people , in government , making a fortune from the way things are and it seems there always will be because 'money talks.'
The word 'integrity' doesn't seem to mean much to people these days. It's all about smoke & mirrors and finding the best ways to deceive.

Spiritwolfe - what was that "consequences" word you used there? I thought it had been removed from the dictionary? You must be from the past.....

I have a theory that humans need, and have always needed, a big stick held over them to rein in their worst tendencies. It used to be religion - an invisible man in the sky who would punish you (even if only after death...) for any bad deeds. "He" could see any bad things you did, even bad thoughts in some cases. With the gradual demise of organised religion, and the overly cosseting and consequence-free society we live in, humans have reverted to their natural characteristics. Like you, I was brought up with discipline and a healthy fear of something bigger and stronger than myself, both traits which have been largely removed from parenting these days under the PC regime.

Unless we get off-planet some time soon, this particular highly-evolved monkey is probably going to destroy the planet and everything on it. These days I find myself constantly appalled at the atrocities and cruelty instigated by humans, but somehow I'm never surprised to see some new level of barbarism.

Luckily, I'm slowly learning to give other people the same level of consideration that they extend to me. Try it - you'll like it.

I think it was the author Richard Bach who said "Everyone should be free to do whatever they like". He then went on to explain that this really implies "Do whatever you like as long as you're not impacting on anyone else doing what THEY like". Do whatever you like as long as you're not hurting anyone else. When you think this through, "doing whatever you like" is actually pretty restrictive !

Originally Posted by Dengue

No MM, but they make up 99.5% of the gangs that roam the streets at all hours here, from 5 yr olds to 15 yr olds and older. It really is a serious problem, an epidemic, and the community is worried. Police are seriously outnumbered, and cannot pursue them if in stolen cars. Some neighbourhoods even have vigilante groups on the lookout for these gangs.

The white guys causing trouble are usually the ice addicts looking for money, and in an older age bracket, usually working alone

Dengue has highlighted a subject that s causing much concern for the older people in our community.

Personally over the years we have had a number of instances of concern directly involving our immediate family, from youths attempting break and enter to our homes; actually catching one inside our garage; youths roaming and testing doors every night in the retirement village my Mum lives in; Mum sold her house in Kelso to get away form such issues; finding abandoned stolen cars less that 100m from our house; being intimidated by up to twenty youths at a "youth diversion centre" that existed across the road for three years; watching them taunt Police while doing "lawnies" across the road from the Police station; regularly having, towels shoes or articles of clothing stolen off the line; garden hoses regularly cut up to make "bongs"; avoiding assaults while walking or riding my mountain bike; finding huge quantities of drying blood one morning because gang members left one of their own to die after a botched break and enter to a tavern went wrong: me being in ED with heart issues while an absolutely feral youth in the next bay was high on ice or something, assaulting and spitting on everyone in range tying up at least four Police Officers, 4 Ambos, Nurse, Doctors, Hospital Security staff, and a do-gooder making sure his rights were being respected - say what!!!! etc etc.

However it could be worse like the mid twenties young bloke that I know who (a few years back) along with a mate attempted to protect their wives from two youths unwelcome sexual advances while entering a restaurant in Cannon Park. The two youths actions actually fit the definition of serious sexual assault and the young bloke ended up in ICU fighting for his life when the low lifes gang members decided to "teach him a lesson."

The crime rate is certainly very real and is not us with over active imaginations = and we line in one of the better suburbs.

I could say heaps but perhaps it could be best summed up as choices and consequences.

Consequences can be defined as natural, eg choose to touch a hot plate burn your finger and it hurts, or imposed, speed and you get fined.

When imposed consequences do not match or are seen as inadequate then there is no incentive to change / modify or make alternative choices. It comes down to people, society doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result. It ain't gonna happen.

Until the community, political expectations are precisely communicated and enforced to and on those making poor choices it can only get worse.

We are constantly told that we live in a user pays system and that we are responsible for our actions and this I can accept so long as those who are under the age of responsibility are held to account by those who are supposedly responsible for them - their parents. Once parents are made responsible and are forced either financially or through deeds to be accountable then there will be a change and their offspring will have a positive model to follow. The so called "All (No) care and no responsibility " has to change.