More youths arrested as SA records more than a dozen incidents involving kids in four weeks

A teen girl has been arrested after a car was allegedly stolen, making it 15 incidents involving kids in four weeks. Police insist there’s been no spike in such crimes.

Another teen has been arrested in a spate of youth-related crime, this time, after police spiked the tyres of an allegedly stolen car at Kulpara.

The Holden Captiva was reported stolen from a Moonta address around 11.45pm on Thursday.

Police spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull the car over.

The 14-year-old allegedly driving failed to stop, prompting police to spike the car’s tyres, forcing the car to veer into a paddock.

The young teen allegedly attempted to run from the vehicle but according to police was quickly apprehended.

The driver from Andrews Farm was arrested and charged with illegal use, failing to stop, driving unlicensed and driving without due care.

She was bailed to appear in the Kadina Youth Court on 9 November.

It’s the 15th such incident involving children since the start of October and comes after the arrest of two teens in the city for breaking into cars in Adelaide’s northwest on Wednesday.

At 5.30pm on Wednesday police responded to reports of two cars being broken into on Grey St at Woodville West.

After an investigation officers arrested one boy on Pulteney St and another in Gawler Pl in the Adelaide CBD, recovering stolen property from the victim.

A 16-year-old from Woodville West and a 14-year-old boy from Holden Hill have been charged with illegal interference of a motor vehicle, theft and breach of bail.

The pair have been refused bail and will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Friday.

It comes after two boys, aged 11 and 12, were arrested in connection with a stolen car in the eastern suburbs on Monday night.

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens denied there had been a spike in youth crime in Adelaide, instead claiming the debate over raising the age of criminal responsibility has put a spotlight on the issue.

But it is SA Police that has been making public a wave of incidents – more than a dozen in the past month alone – where children as young as 11 are accused of crimes ranging from violent assaults to robberies and car thefts.

Police would not provide official data on the number of offences involving children to The Advertiser, saying a Freedom of Information request would have to be submitted.

Community leaders have expressed concerns about youths terrorising city and suburban streets, which comes amid a polarising political debate about raising the age of criminal responsibility.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens talks to media. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

The Greens introduced a bill to state parliament in July, calling for the age to be increased from 10 to 14, a move the state’s police union labelled “ill-conceived”.

In September, Mr Stevens broke usual protocol by commenting on the proposed legislation, saying if the age was raised, a new framework for dealing with repeat youth offenders and those who commit serious crimes would need to be introduced for the sake of community safety.

At an impromptu press conference on Wednesday morning, Mr Stevens said he believed the debate had led to more people becoming “tuned in” with youth crime.

“We have not seen anything in terms of an uptake or uptick that would not be within normal parameters or fluctuation,” he said.

Police arrest 11 and 12 year-old-boys in connection with car theft in eastern suburbs. Picture: 7NEWS

“I believe there’s a much stronger focus on youth crime at the moment because of the current debate in the community about how young offenders should be dealt with.”

SA Police has now issued media statements about 14 incidents involving children since October 7, including the latest incident involving the 16 and 14-year-olds arrested in the CBD on Wednesday.

When asked if it was the police were trying to influence the debate through increased reporting, Mr Stevens said the way information was released to media had not changed.

“We invariably report on the ages of the people involved in those incidents. That has not changed,” he said.

“Sadly, for as long as I’ve been involved in policing, we’ve had young people committing offences. This is not a unique or new trend.”

Three boys were suspected to have been involved in brazen robbery at a bottle shop in the northern suburbs. Picture: 7 NEWS

He conceded there were a number of children becoming involved in serious crimes.

“I think there are a range of factors that lead to that and that’s a much bigger issue than just a police response.”

The Advertiser put a range of additional questions to SA Police on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A spokeswoman said Mr Stevens had already addressed the issue on Wednesday morning, so no further answers were provided.

Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the government was continuing to examine the role of the youth justice system.

“Sometimes a criminal justice response for a young person isn’t the best response in terms of changing behaviour in the future,” he said.

“We’re looking at what the results have been in other places around the world that have moved on criminal age of responsibility and what effects it had on community safety.”

Opposition legal spokesman Josh Teague said raising the age “risks leaving many children without the proper support they need, as vulnerable young people are connected to services through the youth justice system”.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly said the solution to child crime would never be found in punishment and alienation.

“These are children who for the most part already feel shunned, excluded and let down by adults and systems that have failed to keep them safe,” she said.

“Instead of further demonising these children … we should be providing them with access to opportunities that help them to build healthy relationships with others.”