Violence Reduction Units to be introduced to NSW in bid to address youth crime

Almost 900 children aged 13 and under were charged by police in just a 12-month period across the state. But a new initiative and a government cash splash will hopefully see that total collapse.

At-risk youth will be at the centre of a $36 million law and order cash splash which will include establishing Violence Reduction Units aimed at steering young people away from violent crime.

The Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) will be piloted in Penrith and Wagga Wagga over the next two years following positive reports from the UK, where they’ve been used in a bid to tackle spiralling youth crime rates.

The units will gather professionals from areas like health, housing, education, youth services and mental health under one roof, where they can work directly with at-risk children.

Deputy Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole said, following the success of 18 VRUs in the UK, it was time to trial them here.

“This package is about driving real change and supporting the next generation to reach their potential. It builds on what we know is working locally as well as trying new approaches, like the VRUs, that have been so successful elsewhere,” Mr Toole said.

Elisha Mokofisi will be one of the young people to benefit from the extra funding.

The introduction of the units comes after The Daily Telegraph’s The War: Young Blood series shone a light on warring gangs of youth split along postcode boundaries, as well as concerning instances of knife crime among young offenders.

The Telegraph revealed in December that almost 900 children aged 13 and under have been charged by police in the 12 months to April last year – with 17 of those aged just 10.

Lachlan Feher-hegarty boxing with NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole at Parramatta PCYC on Tuesday morning.

The $36m from the Coalition will also go towards other youth help programs, including $10.2m for expanding Youth Action Meetings – which provide police and community groups with the chance to meet and work with at risk youth – beyond their current sites at Coffs Harbour and Bourke.

Funding will also go towards expanding PCYC programs across the state and youth justice resources which work with children and teens in the court system.

Young kids exercise at Parramatta PCYC on Tuesday morning.

PCYC CEO Dominic Teakle said the funding would allow the expansion of “life-changing” programs.

“These programs work. They develop life skills, team work and mindfulness which changes people’s lives and creates hope for a better future,” he said.

The introduction of VRUs to the state comes alongside a promise from the NSW Government to pump $111 million from its WestInvest funding treasure chest to build a five-storey state-of-the-art PCYC in Parramatta.

The PCYC will be the anchor tenant of the new building, which will be constructed on a vacant site between CommBank Stadium and the Parramatta Leagues Club on O’Connell Street, with the facility to include dance and music studios, before and after school care, a homework hub, gyms and indoor courts.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the new facility would “provide a new venue that is tailored to the growth, health and wellbeing of the region’s young people”.