$26.2 million for regional safety and early intervention

The NSW government announced last Tuesday a $26.2 million package of reforms and initiatives to support community safety and wellbeing, particularly in regional NSW, with a focus on strengthening early intervention and prevention programs for young people.

Data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows that crime rates in regional NSW remain higher than in metro areas.

There are also reports of an emerging phenomenon of offenders posting recordings of their offending behaviour on social media, particularly in relation to motor vehicle offending.

The government believes this type of ‘performance crime’ may encourage others, specifically young people, to engage in similar criminal behaviour.

It states the current status quo is not working for young people who are re-offending and being caught up in this cycle, and it is not working for those communities who do not feel safe.

The government said the reforms address the increased rate of offending and community safety concerns through key elements.

They also aim to help protect the community and significantly lift support for young people and disadvantaged communities and were informed by months of engagement with regional communities across NSW.

The NSW government will invest $13.4 million for a targeted response in Moree to address crime, support young people and improve community safety.

Law Society of NSW president Brett McGrath welcomed the funding initiatives in the youth justice package announced by the NSW government, but warned a failure to consult with experts on bail and crime amendments risks flawed legislation.

“The Law Society acknowledges the importance of community safety and recognises the government’s desire to address community concerns about youth crime in certain parts of NSW,” Mr McGrath said.

“We are, however, disappointed that legislation to introduce a ‘temporary’ tightened bail test for certain offences will be introduced in the absence of any meaningful input from experts with daily experience of these issues on our criminal law, children’s legal issues, and indigenous issues committees.

“Tightening the test for bail will result in more children being sent into custody. In circumstances where youth justice centres are often many hours from child defendants’ families and communities, this change has the potential to do a great deal more harm than good.

“The government intends to collect evidence over the next 12 months on the operation of the new bail provision before deciding whether it should continue.”

Duty MLC for the Barwon electorate and Labor Upper House member Stephen Lawrence welcomed the state governments $26.2 million package of reforms and initiatives to support community safety and wellbeing, particularly in regional NSW, with a focus on strengthening early intervention and prevention programs for young people.

“It is a highly commendable and comprehensive package to tackle the alarming spike of youth crime in regional NSW which has proliferated in the community for far too long with previous Coalition government inaction and underinvestment,” he said.

“What has been announced is a two-part package, the first part being a legislative reform to strengthen bail laws for repeat young offenders and a new offence for performance crime.

“The most important aspect is that the court’s discretion to deal with young offenders is retained.

“The second part is a suite of community support packages to address the spiking crime rates, support young people and improve community safety.

“There will a regional pilot with a targeted response in Moree with $13.4 million dollars in funding, and a further $12.9 million to fund broader regional crime prevention initiatives across our affected communities.

“I look forward to seeing the results of the pilot program in Moree and the benefits from a sustained focus on the causes of youth crime and its impacts.

“I have been campaigning for the past 10 years for significant investment and reform in this area and it is occurring under the leadership of the Minns Labor government.”

NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee spokesman Garry Grant said the new reforms had come as welcome news to regional and rural communities as socioeconomic disadvantage deepened, and rural crime rates soared.

“These young offenders are often violent and reckless in their behaviour, and they are also costing landholders and businesses millions of dollars every year, through both loss of goods and increased insurance costs,” Mr Grant said.

“We all deserve to feel safe and secure in our homes, on our properties and in our communities, so it’s pleasing to see action taken to crack down on the youth crime which is
causing such significant harm in the regions.

“This behaviour of stealing cars or breaking into homes and businesses and then sharing these exploits on social media is extremely concerning, and there needs to be more severe consequences if we want to reduce crime and curb the harm caused by repeat offenders.”