Bec Judd’s war against youth crime has continued with a renewed public plea to get repeat offenders off the streets.
The former AFL WAG and influencer has cautiously welcomed Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan’s plans to overhaul the state’s bail laws as Melbourne’s youth crime crisis escalates.
On Tuesday, the Premier backflipped on a previous government promise to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 while vowing to implement ‘tougher consequences for repeat and serious youth offenders’.
Judd, a self-appointed crime fighter in her affluent suburb of Brighton, welcomed the amendments.
But she believes more needs to be done to ensure Victorians feel more safe.
‘This is a start,’ she told her 750,000 Instagram followers.
She pointed out that ‘three innocent lives’ had allegedly been lost to ‘out of control teens’ in the last 12 months.
‘Never have Victorians felt so unsafe in their own homes. Violent, repeat offenders must be off the streets. Let’s see how these changes go,’ she added.
Bec Judd (pictured) has continued her one-woman war on youth crime
The AFL WAG weighed in on the Victorian government’s plans to beef up bail laws
It’s not the first time Judd has made her feelings known about youth crime.
Earlier this month, Judd expressed her anger that one of the youths allegedly involved in the kidnapping of teenager Benjamin Phikhohpoom in Melbourne that left him with permanent brain damage had walked free despite pleading guilty.
‘Victoria, this is not OK but sadly just another case of a violent offender let off because our laws are weak,’ Judd wrote on social media.
She also recently slammed Melbourne as ‘woke, broke and violent’ after residents were encouraged to put Apple AirTags in their cars amid a crimewave in the city.
The amended legislation will still raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12.
Premier Jacinta Allan has unveiled the government’s plans to overhaul the state’s bail laws
Under former premier Daniel Andrews, the government pledged in 2023 to lift the age to 14 by 2027, with exceptions for serious offences such as murder and terrorism.
But following a series of prominent incidents involving youth offenders, including two fatal car crashes in the past two months, Ms Allan said it would remain at 12 years.
‘This decision has been made at a different time by a different government with a different premier,’ Premier Allan told reporters.
No children under 14 are incarcerated in Victoria and the premier said passing the youth justice bill would keep it that way.
Her government will move amendments to the bill this week, including changes to the Bail Act so people will be kept on remand if they pose an ‘unacceptable risk’ of committing offences such as aggravated burglary, carjacking, dangerous driving or family violence.
It will also be made an offence for adults and children to commit a serious offence while on bail.
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes argued the new offence was different from the one of committing an indictable offence while on bail that was repealed in March.
‘It was remanding vulnerable cohorts,’ she said.
‘What we’re bringing back is an offence for committing high-end serious harm.’
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton welcomed the targeting of dangerous driving, aggravated burglary, home invasion and armed robbery.
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