AN electronic billboard displaying cold, hard facts about crime in Townsville will ram home the reality facing local residents to the State Labor Government, says Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto. 

Mr Dametto has hired a portable billboard that will display key crime statistics around the city for the foreseeable future. 

“The three local Labor MPs and this government don’t believe there’s a crime problem in Townsville, so I’ve decided to confront them with the reality,” Mr Dametto said. 

“The sign will display monthly statistics for offences related to break-ins, car theft, theft and assault and will be updated daily to track any increases. I think locals, who are already living in fear, will still be shocked by those stats.” 

Between April 30 and May 30 this year, there were 483 break-in offences, 131 offences for car theft, 342 offences for other theft and 140 offences for assault in the Townsville Local Government Area. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there are even more offences than those numbers,” Mr Dametto said. 

“Increasingly, there are victims of crime who think it’s not worth reporting to police anymore because the offenders will just get a slap on the wrist by the courts and then let back out to wreak more destruction. 

“It’s absolutely devastating that law-abiding residents feel their no longer safe in their community, let alone their own homes.” 

Mr Dametto said people were “crying out” for a circuit breaker to arrest the North’s youth crime crisis. 

“Labor fiddled around the edges when they passed their new youth justice laws, but ignored Katter’s Australian Party’s amendments such as mandatory minimum sentencing, relocation sentencing and removal of detention as a last resort so a detention order could be the first option for a judge instead of the last,” he said. 

“The LNP happily voted with Labor to keep detention as a last resort. Once again, it falls to the KAP to stand up for local residents and demand real reform to our youth justice system. 

“This billboard is a reflection of that frustration and I make no apologies for informing people of the grim reality of this situation.”