SHOCKING: Teens spread rat poison over family's backyard

A FAMILY is considering leaving town after discovering a common household poison tossed into its backyard in an attempt to kill their beloved pet dog.

CHANGE THE SYSTEM: Daniel Braxton says Chinchilla is no longer a safe place to raise a family. Despite spending hundreds on home security cameras he is still regularly visited by youths trying to break in and steal from his property. Picture: Kate McCormack

A FAMILY is considering leaving  town after discovering a common household poison tossed into its backyard in an attempt to kill their beloved pet dog.  

Too frightened to talk on the record, their friend Daniel Braxton has come forward to express his outrage at the unprovoked attempted poisonings.  

Mr Braxton believes Chinchilla is becoming an unsafe place to raise a family and is concerned for the wellbeing of his children and pets.   

"My mate has had youths in his yard, snooping around his house for the past several months but this recent attack has pushed the family too far," Mr Braxton said.  

"He caught them looking through his windows at night, scaring his kids and stealing his ashtrays for cigarettes and now he's come home to find Ratsak throughout his yard."   

Mr Braxton says his friend is too afraid of what the youths will do to his house and family.   

"We think they were trying to kill the family dog so they could easily gain access to his property, not that their dog is much of a threat to anyone," he said.   

"It makes me sick to think that his kids could have easily wandered out to play in the back yard and been poisoned.  

"This is no joke, these young criminals are going to make someone seriously sick or worse."  

Mr Braxton said his friend wasn't the only one targeted by petty criminals.  

"All of my neighbours are concerned - nearly everyone I know has had run-ins with these kids in the past few months.   

"They are getting more and more brazen.They don't give a stuff about who sees them or if they get caught."  

Mr Braxton said he spent hundreds of dollars on a home security system when break and enters around Chinchilla started to become more regular, but it appears his efforts have done little to deter the criminals.   

"I've had three separate occurrences now where I've caught them trying to break in through my back screen door, despite the security cameras set up all over my house.  

"My kids were terrified to play in our back room for weeks afterwards and my mates don't even feel like they can let their kids play in the back yard any more."  

Mr Braxton is concerned the youth crime rate in Chinchilla is getting worse and is worried it's going to take someone getting seriously injured before something is done about the juvenile crime problem.   

"When they started throwing Ratsak over fences they crossed a line," he said.  

"Trying to kill an animal for some cigarette butts or a pair of Nike shoes is getting ridiculous.   

"They could have seriously injured or killed my friend's kids.  

"My mate is now thinking about leaving town because he doesn't feel like he can protect his family any more.  

"Chinchilla used to be a nice little country community and now the crimes in the region are making it a very ugly place to live."  

Mr Braxton said he understood the police had their work cut out and could only do their part by bringing in criminals to face charges.  

He believes it's the Queensland justice system letting everyone down.  

"This has to stop, there has to be firmer action. Curfews aren't going to stop these little punks from going where they want, when they want.   

"They aren't scared of the consequences or the courts.  

"The justice system needs to find a way to protect the community and get these kids off the streets before someone gets hurt."