Attorney-general visits Dubbo to talk law and order

"There is no simple solution - if there was it would have been done," Brad Hazzard told the Daily Liberal during a visit to the city yesterday.

"It's about not giving up. There is an answer somewhere, we've got to find it."

Mr Hazzard arrived in the city at the request of Dubbo MP Troy Grant, who had raised concerns about the impact of crime on the local community, particularly crimes committed by youths.

"The critical issue is getting some of these, particularly young, offenders to realise they're part of the community and they have an obligation to that community," Mr Hazzard said.

"They have an obligation to add, not subtract from people's enjoyment of that community. There are obviously quite a few young people here who come from very challenged backgrounds.

"I'm investigating whether we can pre-emptively address what the family failings are, and if we can somehow get the message to families and parents in particular that they have an obligation to the community and their own children. It's a challenge."

Mr Hazzard said yesterday's visit was one of his first extended trips outside Sydney since taking over the role earlier this year.

One of his first ports of call was Dubbo Court House.

"I spoke with the judge, magistrate and all the court staff, and representatives from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Legal Aid," he said.

"It was about getting a handle on what improvements we can make to address community concerns Troy Grant has raised."

While Mr Hazzard did not expand on particular issues raised by members of the local legal fraternity, he said he was keen to look into a possible local adaptation of some very successful programs to address crime in the UK where "bringing together agencies and non-government organisations to work in a solid, co-ordinated fashion has made massive differences in the reoffending rate."

However, the three-day tour of Dubbo, Bourke and Nyngan to talk law and order nearly did not make it past Dubbo.

"Unfortunately we came out of the court and the car did not want to start," he said.

"So we've been a bit delayed but we have a new hire car now to get us to Bourke."

Mr Hazzard said the visit was about "looking, listening and learning, which is what Troy asked me to do."

"It's a complex scenario with a long history," he said.

"I'm up for the challenge but I'm not going to jump in with quick-fix solutions until I've listened to all the parties concerned.

"I've only been in the job a few months but thought it was important to get out into the western region because they (Troy Grant and Barwon MP Kevin Humphries) think there are potentially big things we can do and that it's a matter of getting the resources together.

"I've been a lawyer for a long while and have seen a lot, but not enough. As Attorney-General I need to have a clear understanding about what the challenges are in the west and north-west."