Keen to justify his reform of youth crime laws, Premier David Crisafulli has taken the step of releasing police data he says reveal the true extent of a crisis that has "spread to every corner" of Queensland.
The hardline approach has come under fire from youth advocates as a 'love affair with caging children'.
With more than 50,000 offences committed so far this year, including by a cohort of the state’s most serious youth offenders, communities are being held hostage, Mr Crisafulli says.
The blame for the problem lies with the recently departed previous Labor government, the premier said on Sunday.
The statistics point to a concentration of juvenile offences in the state's far north, with 6829 matters reported including 78 by serious repeat offenders.
Townsville recorded 4175 reported matters, 68 identified as the work of recidivists.
In the southeast, there were 2037 reports for Logan and more than 7000 for South Brisbane.
The data clearly demonstrated the need for tough new government laws expected to be passed by the parliament this week, Mr Crisafulli said.
Under Labor, Queensland suburbs had became "warzones under siege from a generation of repeat offenders running riot", he said.
“Our message is clear: if you do the crime, you will be sentenced to the time. Adult Crime, Adult Time will arrest youth crime and restore safety to Queensland.”
The legislation will mean children will face life sentences for five offences including murder, manslaughter and grievous bodily harm under the government's centrepiece election commitment.
Juveniles as young as 10 will be considered for the same maximum sentence as adults for 13 offences, including car theft doubling to 10 years.
Despite the pressure for a crackdown, it was revealed in the lead up to the state's October poll that Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed Qld's youth crime rate had, in fact, halved in the past 14 years.
Police also said the rate of child offenders had dropped two per cent in 2023/24 and since 2012/13, rates had decreased 18 per cent.
Chief executive of support organisation Sisters Inside Debbie Kilroy told AAP last week incarcerating Queensland's most vulnerable children under the new laws instead of investing in reform, would pave the way for a life of crime.
"Locking up children for longer is never going to work as it does not give any healing," she said.
"This is just fuelling our love affair with caging children."
