On Monday 24 February, a ramraid took place at a liquor store in Carnarvon, Western Australia, following the violent carjacking of a regional MP.
Extensive damage was caused to the store when the stolen vehicle was used to ram through the secure roller doors to the premises, and various items were stolen from inside the store.
Merome Beard, Liberal candidate for Mid-West, was the victim of the carjacking, with Liquor Stores of Western Australia (LSA WA) CEO Peter Peck describing the incident as a brutal example of inadequate policies bearing fruit where young people felt bullet proof knowing there were no consequences for their juvenile delinquency.
Peck said the incident is proof that the youth crime rate in some regional areas is in crisis, and shared his concern over the $30,000 worth of damage caused to the local liquor store in the ram raid.
“I can’t believe we have kids barely in their teens, steal under the nose of a local MP and cause havoc for hours on end. How somebody wasn’t injured or killed is quite incredible,” he stated.
“What’s clear, is that these kids have no care for the letter of the law and that is a major problem. Our industry has been targeted and accused of doing the wrong thing and has been made out to be the villain. Last night’s incident is a clear case that in actual fact our members and the community at large are the victims.
“It’s high time the state government of the day rolls out appropriate wraparound services, that have been promised time and time again but have never been delivered, to deal with these offenders. The status quo is irrelevant, and the whole community is suffering for it,” he concluded.