Café owner stuns Sunrise hosts with wild spray on air: 'Quite scary'
The Sunrise host was visibly taken aback by the café owner's remarks about Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
A Brisbane café owner reached boiling point live on air Wednesday morning while speaking on the rise of youth crime in Queensland and its impact on his hospitality business.
Mark Hardingham's cafe Tribe Coffee Co in Ascot, Brisbane has been allegedly targeted three times in just over a year by thieves, with the latest "scary" incident involving armed youths confronting an employee who have reportedly been charged.
"It's getting worse. The Queensland Premier, she needs to step up and do something about it," Mr Hardingham told Sunrise hosts, speaking about Annastacia Palaszczuk.
"As any small business owner can confirm it's hard enough to get staff, it's hard enough at the moment with costs of goods going up and all this stuff going on in the background ... she needs to step up."
He continued with more scathing remarks about Ms Palaszczuk, warning something needs to be done before the issue escalates.
"She needs to knuckle down and grow a set, and actually do something about it because it’s gonna get to the point where someone’s gonna get hurt, physically hurt," he said.
Mr Hardingham later said the state premier should “toughen up” and "stop gallivanting around the world and telling everyone how good you are" to instead focus on minimising youth crime, with the issue forcing the café owner to spend money on more advanced CCTV systems.
High crime rate causing community unrest
It is not only Mr Hardingham who has voiced his frustration with authorities' response to the surge in youth crime experienced throughout the state.
A rise in vigilante behaviour has prompted concern from police, as Queenslanders take the matter of crime into their own hands. A mob of 30 people recently surrounded a home in Rockhampton where two teenagers believed to be responsible for criminal activity resided.
Another example of vigilante behaviour was in the form of an anonymous sign being erected in Mackay which warned of an "enforced curfew" for youths in attempt to curb crime.
"Any youths caught walking the streets shall be disciplined," the sign read.
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The Queensland government has announced it will invest $4 million in a sport and recreation fund in an attempt to curb youth crime.
Recent research from the state found nearly 40 per cent of young offenders, between ages 10 and 19, are exposed to traumatic experiences which increase their likelihood of engaging in crime.
In May, Ms Palaszczuk said she hoped this fund would help "young people who may be at risk of falling into a life of crime" find a renewed sense of purpose and open up opportunities for them.
At the end of the Sunrise interview, the host said the Queensland premier was welcome on the show anytime to offer a response to Mr Hardingham's scathing words.
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