Youth crime spate prompts calls for urgent intervention but top cop says there’s been no increase

SA’s top cop says the recent wave of crime committed by young children was not a “new trend”, despite concerns from community leaders who are urging quick intervention.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens says there is no unusual “uptick” in youth crime in South Australia, despite community leaders expressing concerns about a wave of recent incidents.

South Australia Police have reported 14 separate incidents involving youths across Adelaide in the last month. They range from violent assaults, to robberies and car thefts involving children as young as 11.

Mr Stevens said there was a “high focus” on youth crime because of the current political debate surrounding the age of criminal responsibility.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier (file)

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

“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.

“The position of the South Australian Police is that the decision to lift the age of criminal responsibility is a matter for government and we will provide advice in relation to that.”

It comes as community leaders say it’s time to ask why are children as young as 11 out on the streets at all hours of the night committing offences in Adelaide.

They have called for development of programs and other interventions to address the needs of troubled youth.

Two boys, aged 11 and 12, were arrested in connection with a stolen car in the eastern suburbs. They are among several young offenders who have committed crimes across the suburbs of Adelaide in the past month.

Commissioner For Victims’ Rights Bronwyn Killmier said action needed to be taken quickly. “We need to ask ourselves why these offences are happening?” she said.

“We need to develop programs to address and deal with the needs of those children to stop the offending.”

The spate of offending comes amid calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility in South Australia. Ms Killmier said the latest spate highlighted why that shouldn’t happen.

She said victims often came out of these incidents second-best, and they wanted young offenders held accountable.

A South Australian Commissioner for Victims' Rights Bronwyn Killmier. Picture: David Mariuz

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

“They come here all the time and they’ve had their car stolen by youths, with no insurance because they can’t afford it, so they’ve essentially lost their car through no fault of their own. It has a big impact,” she said.

“Victims would support evidence-based alternatives to detention … as long as they were effectively changing behaviours.

“You can still deal with children a different way without changing the age of criminal responsibility but at least by keeping it you can deal with the hardcore youth criminals who repeatedly offend.”

Salisbury Business Association executive officer David Waylen said petty crime involving youths had been an ongoing problem for northern suburbs businesses.

“The fear is that if we don’t deal with the petty crime, we will see an escalation that will involve assaults and more serious incidents,” he said.

“A lot of kids are bored. They have dropped out of school, don’t have jobs and have fallen through the cracks of social services.”

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge said there was a time when police would cycle around the northern suburbs, however police presence had now decreased.

“When you call the police for petty crime, they don’t come,” she said. “We’d like to have more police in the area.

“It’s hurting family businesses that are struggling.” Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the government’s actions would focus on community safety.

“I don’t think the statistics bear out that there has been a huge increase in youth crime but it is still an overriding responsibility of any government to make sure they’re focused on community safety,” he said.

“That’s why the government’s looking at resources in other areas of government … (such as) the child protection system and the education system to give kids the best possible chance they have in life.”

Originally published as Youth crime spate prompts calls for urgent intervention but top cop says there’s been no increase