Will new penalties help 'terrified' locals amidst crime wave?

Amidst a rise in youth crime in the region many have called for harsher punishments for young offenders and the government is starting to listen.

But some believe the move will do more harm than good.

"You don't make communities safer by locking up children," Karly Warner, CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service said.

"Tightening bail laws to keep children locked up hasn't worked in a single place it's been tried."

There were 11,057 young people between the ages of 10 and 17 in the Orana and Far West region in 2022, and 576 of them proceeded to court, according to the NSW Bureau of Statistics.

Another 284 were cautioned and 64 had a youth justice conference.

In comparison, the Central West area, which has twice as many young people, had less children and teenagers proceed to court, with just 508.

The Orana and Far West region has seen motor vehicle thefts increase 21.9 per cent over the year from October 2022 to September 2023, with 617 incidents.

Malicious damage to property also went up by 14.6 per cent with 2242 incidents, while break and enters remained stable with 1183 incidents.

The rise in crime hasn't gone unnoticed by those in the community.

Facebook groups like Crime in Dubbo and Surrounding Areas and Narromine Crime and Neighborhood Watch have thousands of members each and see a handful of new posts every day.

Dashcam video, CCTV stills and Ring Doorbell footage showing alleged perpetrators are often shared in the groups and members express frustration about a lack of action from authorities.

Group admin Karina McLachlain said moderating the groups is a "big responsibility"

"When I first took it over [the Narromine page] there were actually a lot of criminals on the pages and they were using the group as kind of intel...So we cleared a lot of them out with intel from the community," she said.

"Then there's also a lot of responsibility in terms of moderating the opinion towards crime... I think youth crime is a massive issue but I think there's often a knee-jerk reaction from the community that judges are soft and kids are not getting strong enough sentences."

The issue has also become a talking point for the region's leaders.

NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders said regional crime was on the rise, and it was disappointing the government was not listening to what our bush communities need.

"Local mayors, police and residents are calling for help and we need the government to step up and back this inquiry so the Parliament can look at this properly and hear directly from communities who want to share their stories, as well as their solutions," Mr Saunders said.

Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley have both publicly opposed the inquiry, despite countless calls for help from multiple agencies and communities, including the NSW Country Mayors Association, NSW Police Association, NSW Farmers Association, Country Women's Association and 84 local government councils.

Shadow Minister for Police Paul Toole said law and order requires constant focus otherwise you end up with home invasions, street shootings and kids walking past murder scenes on the way to school.

"Police are doing all they can, but they have no support behind them. The Minister is silent when it comes to providing extra resources, and the officers are left working endless amounts of overtime to the point of burnout," he said.

"An inquiry would give us the answers we need to combat this crime once and for all, and that can include reviewing how young offenders are managed and supporting youth programs to get them off the street.

"Families in regional communities are terrified each night that they will wake up to someone in their home stealing their belongings or worse.

"There is nowhere to go - we are now at the point where not even your own home or hotel room is safe."

In response to concerns about regional youth crime, on Tuesday, March 12, the NSW Government announced a suite of changes they hope to pass.

Proposed changes include an additional bail test for youth between 14 and 18 charged with committing serious break and enter or motor vehicle theft offences while on bail for the same offences.

The government also plans to introduce legislation to impose an additional penalty of two years' imprisonment for people who commit car theft or break and enter offences and share posts or videos on social media about it.

"I've spoken to mayors, police area commanders and local communities who have said we need to do more when it comes to crime rates, so that's what we're doing," NSW Premier Chris Minns said, announcing the changes.

"We will not leave regional communities behind, and we will ensure regional communities are safe and appealing places to work, live and raise a family."

However, a group of Aboriginal organisations - including the Aboriginal Legal Service - have warned that changes that will result in more children going to jail will actually make communities like Dubbo more dangerous.

"Changes to bail laws that lock more children up is a short-term political stunt that won't fix a thing on the ground in communities," Ms Warner said.

Ms McLachlain, who has worked in drug and alcohol rehab, agreed it's not the solution Dubbo needs.

"The only way to check whether your criminal justice system is working is the rate of recidivism... and stronger and harsher punishments do not reduce recidivism. In fact, they actually increase it," she said.

She says when people call for punitive action in the community groups she moderates she tries to open a discussion with them about it.

"I don't know how much influence I've had but [some] do respond and widen their perspective. Any little bit I can do is worth it," she said.

"It's very easy for people to go, 'oh, all those people are just rubbish' or 'human excrement', and then just write them off as if they're not human beings... As if these same human beings wouldn't have made different choices under different circumstances.

"So it's very important to have those conversations ... I do get on there and I do stimulate conversation and there have been people who have reconsidered their stance."

Ms Warner said she would like to see more investment for "positive and proactive solutions" to prevent regional youth crime, rather than tougher bail laws and harsher penalties.

"NSW needs more youth engagement and support because that stops crime from happening. We don't need more short-sighted political fixes like this, that will make communities more dangerous," she said.

"Regional communities should be furious that the government is not prepared to invest in services that will make them safer."