Boy arrested, three dealt with by police as South Burnett PCYC trashed in alleged break-in

A teen boy, 15, has been charged and three others as young as 12 dealt with by police, after a South Burnett youth club was left ransacked, with the children allegedly stealing phones, computers and TVs and discharging fire extinguishers.

A 15-year-old boy who police will allege trashed a local Police and Community Youth Club has been arrested and charged with what has been described as a ‘heartbreaking’ break and enter.

A group of boys allegedly forced their way into the basketball court late last month, before breaking into the office area and stealing items including laptops, mobile phones, gaming consoles, tablets and a television.

They then allegedly smashed a window and damaged multiple personal items belonging to staff, before discharging fire extinguishers throughout the building.

South Burnett PCYC officer-in-charge Rene Bond said while the break-in was extremely disappointing, police and PCYC staff remained committed to supporting young people in the community.

“Incidents like these break our hearts, but we will continue to provide programs to improve the lives of our young people as best we can,” Sergeant Bond said.

The PCYC remained closed to the public until July 27 while repairs were completed.

Detectives were able to recover most of the stolen property with the help of the children’s family members.

The 15-year-old boy was charged with break and enter and is due to appear before Murgon Children’s Court at a later date.

Three other boys, aged 12, 14 and 15, have been dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.