According to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, businesses around Dubbo are some of the most affected by crime in the region. There were 417 incidents relating to stealing from a retail store and 260 break and enters into businesses in 2023.

SportsPower owner Anthony Barnes said it was well documented that Dubbo has a crime problem.

While he knows it's not just one demographic causing the crime problems, he says that businesses helping young people get on the right track could make a big difference.

"I think there are good engagement opportunities but the families of the youth are dysfunctional and the parents are sometimes career criminals or don't have parenting skills and aren't channelling the kids into that area," he said.

"Sometimes their home life isn't that great and they're often better off getting away from it, having fun, engaging and going back home tired and going to sleep."

One way businesses can help young people is by hiring them for jobs - something Mr Barnes is proud to say his business does.

"It's a good stepping stone, a grounding for doing something later on in life...we actively have young people come through the business and achieve and move on," he said.

Mr Barnes said while it was good to hire young people, the kids have to be motivated to do it.

"If they're in a family environment where their parents aren't working and the grandparents aren't working then they're not going to work," he said.

"They've got to break the cycle. You've lost the previous generation, they're not going to change, so you've got to get in early with the kids and they might have a chance."

Boys to the Bush Dubbo manager Chad Parkes said helping young people connect with their community and build positive relationships is key to breaking the cycle.

"Often boys come from a broken home or are in a care situation," he said.

"Quite a few boys that are very transient. They can be in one town for a little while and then due to circumstances out of their control, they move to another town and that cycle can keep going unfortunately.

"It's hard to build a sense of pride in community or even a sense of identity when you don't when you don't know where you'll be in six months' time."

Boys to the Bush - which has nine locations across regional NSW and Victoria - connects at-risk young people with mentors within their communities.

"It can dispel misconceptions that community members might have about their youth and vice versa," he said.

"And we've seen it can really positively impact both parties and it's working hand in hand with the community and having people open their doors and that sort of stuff is great.

"What we're trying to do is help the kids establish relationships within the community and then nurture them along so that one day, hopefully we're redundant."

Communication, discipline, structure and routine are all things young people can learn once they get their first job and all things that can keep young people on the right side of the law.

"A lot of these young people on the street don't have structure or routine and generally kids thrive in structure and routine," he said.

"Not everybody relates everything to earning a wage, it's that sense of achievement in doing something and taking a bit of pride, those are feelings they probably don't experience."

Mr Barnes said nobody complimenting them or saying they've done a good job in that home environment can be pretty detrimental.

"If they are in an environment at home where it's dysfunctional or they're getting smacked around the ears or they come home and there's no one home or no food in the pantry and they have to fend for themselves or there's arguments, then there's no one in that family who has said to that kid 'well done'," he said.

But without the engagement of parents it can be difficult to maintain those good habits.

"There are options out there to assist but again the kid has got to be willing to do it and the parents have to nudge them in that direction," he said.

"You can provide the services, but it's like taking a horse to water, you can't make them drink.

"If they don't want to do it, they won't do it. So, how do you do it? How can you motivate them to do it?"

With everyone looking for solutions, Mr Barnes said there wasn't an easy answer.

"It's just chipping away and targeting youth, it's looking for the best opportunity to get them before they run off the rails," he said.

"There are good kids amongst them out there but just by their circumstances or home life they've ended up on the wrong path."

Mr Parkes agreed the issue is complicated. But he believes more people having pride in their community would go a long way to addressing the crime rates.

"Having a sense of community breeds a sense of pride and instils with that, a sense of self worth, and those things alone would have a huge impact on crime rates," Mr Parkes said.

"If people felt more of a sense of community and more pride in their community and more pride about themselves living in their community, it would make a huge difference."

While there is a percentage in every community that are going to be dysfunctional, Mr Barnes said a lot of the time is drug and alcohol related.

According to BOCSAR, in 2023 there were 489 drug related incidents.

"A lot of the time there is drug and alcohol abuse amongst the crime because they don't have the money and they want something," Mr Barnes said.

"I don't think we will ever break that cycle, but you've got to try."

Dubbo Business Chamber president Errin Williamson told the Daily Liberal that she believed youth crime wasn't the main issue Dubbo was facing.

"It is homelessness and individuals displaying side effects of drug and alcohol abuse," she said.

While she doesn't believe youth crime is the main issue in Dubbo, she does believe that hiring young people is important.

"Young people in general benefit so much from being in the workplace, it helps set themselves up for the future, establishing how to juggle responsibilities, relationships outside of their families and school friends," she said.

"It teaches them how to better communicate with others and work ethics is often found trying many different occupations until you have found the one you love."

She said it was important as it allows young people to meet people from all different walks of life.

"Working in different industries is always beneficial," she said.