Police step up surveillance of young people

By Justine Kamprad

CANBERRA -- Over the last week there has been a substantially increased police presence in the city area, particularly in Garema Place, a paved area with seats and a small amphitheatre often used as a gathering place by young people.

Police have been driving a bus containing up to eight officers into the centre of Garema Place and parking within 20 metres of the main seating area, staying there all day. When asked why they were there, they responded, ``To get rid of druggies''. They state they will be in Garema Place on the same scale for at least three months.

This approach to young people will not help solve the crime problem in a city with 25.7% unemployment between the ages of 15 and 19.

During the last six to eight months young people in Garema Place have been harassed by shop owners and police. Many pavement cafes refuse to serve young people. Store owners verbally abuse young people who meet on the pavement outside their stores, telling them to move on and demanding their names.

The ACT Liberal government has been pushing a project to make the Canberra City area more ``cosmopolitan'' by removing the Garema Place amphitheatre and public seating to make more space for pavement cafes and to make it less attractive as a meeting place for young people.

Pathways, an information service for young people, commented that the large police presence ``just moves the drug problem somewhere else''.

The government is making no real attempt to handle the problem of youth drug use and crime. Instead, the large and visual police presence has made it impossible for young people to use public spaces without fear of intimidation or harassment.>41559MS>n255D>

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