Calls for Dubbo youth crime summit as less than 100 kids enrolled in offender programs

A shockingly low number of criminal kids are enrolled in youth offender programs in the state’s central west as the mayor of an embattled regional hub says a youth curfew is “alarmist”.

Less than 100 children across the state’s central west were enrolled in youth crime programs – designed to break the repeat-offender cycle – last year, as desperate communities call for the creation of a Dubbo youth crime summit in an effort to stamp out criminal activity.

The calls for the establishment of a regional crime summit comes as Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson claimed residents pleas for a dusk to dawn kid curfew on the streets of the central west were “alarmist”.

Cr Dickerson said youth crime rates across Dubbo weren’t experiencing an “alarming increase”, despite Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data revealing 716 kids were convicted of theft in the past five years.

A further 403 children were convicted of assault, and 313 convicted of property damage during the same time frame.

“Our population has grown by 0.9 per cent so I would expect to see crime increase, obviously we would prefer them to go down, but the statistics aren’t going through the roof,” the mayor argued.

Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson. Picture: Ryan Young

The Dubbo mayor said Orana-Mid Western Police District officers regularly called for more boots on the ground.

“Even though I would love to see zero crime in the community people have to be realists,” he said.

Cr Dickerson said council “does not have the power to implement a curfew”.

“The same people who steal cars are going to be the same people who ignore a curfew.”

However, fellow councillor Joshua Black, who is a victim of a break in and enter, said he was determined to introduce a crime summit with the support of residents.

“The first thing we need to do is to admit there is a significant problem in Dubbo relating to youth crime and criminal behaviour – we can’t deny that there is a problem,” Cr Black said.

“We need a whole government approach – both state and federal – with agencies that can be involved in other diversionary programs.”

Dubbo Regional Council councillor Joshua Black

Cr Black said the town requires “justice reinvestment” to “break the cycle of crime” in Dubbo.

“Council can advocate for more police presence, especially a 24-hour police presence in Wellington,” he said. “There’s no point saying it’s not our job – we are a level of government and can lobby to state and federal agencies to reduce some of the issues.”

Better Now program founder Joe Williams said crime sprees are not “isolated” to Dubbo but he understands that “challenging behaviours” are on the rise in the area.

Better Now is a school-based program aimed to build relationships with students and “find out what makes them tick”.

Better Now founder Joe Williams.

“Kids are keeping themselves busy and escaping different challenges they have present through their challenging behaviours,” Mr Williams said.

Case management, behaviour and family interventions program, Youth on Track, had just 23 juveniles enrolled in the course in the 2021-22 financial year in Dubbo, Orange and Wellington, according to a Youth Justice spokesman.

In the same time frame, the Rural Residential Adolescent Alcohol and Other Drug Rehabilitation Service, which is designed to provide counselling, relapse prevention and skills training to addicted kids in regional communities had just 18 kids enrolled in Dubbo.

A teen outside a home in Dubbo.

Meanwhile, a 12-week program known as the Central West Casework Support service – which provides intensive support to young people being supervised in the community — supported 44 youth in the same period.

Other programs offered in Dubbo include Youth Justice Conferencing and Aboriginal youth program, My Journey My Life, which aims to address violence within relationships.

Dubbo resident Tristan Cameron said his property has been broken into “multiple times” in the past two years.

“Every time we get broken into, we put a new security camera up,” Mr Cameron said.

In March, Mr Cameron noticed his dog barking at a man looking in his car.

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“About 20 minutes later the cops rocked up with lights and sirens – the whole works – I thought it was a bit dramatic to get some footage off the cameras,” he said.

“I walked out and saw a the cops with a few kids in the driveway, one of the kids had cuffs on and the police were trying to speak with them.

“[The children who tried to break in] were pretty cleaver saying ‘you can’t touch me – I’m underage’, ‘you can’t search me’, ‘get f*cked’ to the cops.”

Mr Cameron said the police patted down one of the youths while the other child ran away, throwing a glass case with a meth pipe and drugs onto the ground.

“The cops jumped on him and tackled him down … they loaded them up in the paddy wagon and took them home,” he said.

Another teen outside a home in Dubbo.

Mr Cameron said he was “concerned” for his and his partner’s welfare as they have experienced several break-ins in the past two years.

Meanwhile, in February last year, Alira Tully experienced a break-in just months after moving to Dubbo.

“We had three youths break in while we were asleep and attempt to steal our vehicles – they got the keys to both cars,” Mrs Tully said. “My husband heard his car start, opened the front door and caught them.”

Mrs Tully said there were two children in one car and one child in the other car.

“My husband tried to open the passenger side door of my vehicle which scared them – I don’t think they expected anyone to be there.

Cars a regularly stolen by teens at night.

“They floored the cars trying to get out and unfortunate to them, the guy in the other car floored it as well and they crashed into each other.

“When they realised both cars were smashed, they jumped out and ran off into the darkness.”

Mrs Tully said police were there within seconds as they were already patrolling the area and noticed the headlights of the cars.

“We’re severely impacted – to this day – my children were home,” she said.

“Even though we moved house now I’m forever fearful that it could happen again.”