Kempsey youth crime wave, posted and boasted across social media, leaves residents ‘terrified’

On the Mid-North Coast, just a short drive from multimillion-dollar ocean front homes and luxury accommodation, there’s a town where it’s not unusual to drive down streets with cars burnt out in parks and homes boarded up or burnt to the ground.

The Mid-North Coast is brimming with lux holiday homes and picturesque seaside hamlets, but a short drive from multimillion-dollar homes and boutique clubs and accommodation, Kempsey is a town gripped by crime with many of the brazen acts posted and boasted about online.

Two Instagram pages — ‘kempseyyoungins’ and ‘kempseyolders’ — have showcased dangerous and daring behaviour, including videos of drivers with their faces covered speeding at up to 220km/h, with both pages running the tagline “you sleep we creep”.

The two accounts, which also sledge “don’t snitch ya bitch” in the bios, have more than 100 posts each with a combined total of nearly 10,000 followers.

One of the brazen clips posted shows two people in a car driving suspiciously slow past Kempsey Police Station before flooring the accelerator and reaching speeds in excess of 150km/h.

The pages also shamelessly share media coverage of crimes committed in the region, where concerned residents have voiced fears about hooning and break-ins.

A video on kempsey_youngins_crimes shows speeds of up to 200km/h.

Across the pages, there are posts of rows of keys laid out as well as face-covered individuals flaunting wads of cash.

Kempsey local Wayne Smailes told this publication he had moved to the town between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour from Mount Druitt in Sydney’s west.

More vision from kempsey_youngins_crimes on Instagram

Mr Smailes said he made the move 30 years ago to get away from bad influences.

However, in the last five years, he hasn’t felt as comfortable as he used to.

Near Mr Smailes’ address in West Kempsey, there was a dramatic 12-hour siege earlier this month which resulted in the arrest of a man who allegedly held up two others with a machete.

“It was terrifying actually,” Mr Smailes said.

Wayne Smailes moved to Kempsey about 30 years ago from Mount Druitt to get away from the “bad influences” there. Picture: Janine Watson

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, pointed out a burnt-out car she said was torched the night after the siege. 

While she did not say it was linked to the siege, the car left burnt in the park is not an uncommon sight in the riverside town with multiple houses burnt out or boarded up.

The woman said young groups of people were committing crimes and competing with each other by posting the acts online in what NSW Police now refer to as “posting and boasting”.

A post on one of the Instagram pages.

Earlier this year, the NSW Government introduced new penalties for people who upload videos of criminal acts to social media, with offenders facing up to two years behind bars for doing so.

In April, two teens were the first to be charged under the new laws after allegedly stealing luxury cars from western Sydney and uploading footage of the thefts to social media.

It's not unusual to see houses boarded up and burnt in parts of Kempsey. Picture: Janine Watson

In relation to the Kempsey Instagram pages, a NSW Police spokesperson said everything posted online left a digital footprint and even deleted content could be recovered.

“People filming themselves committing a crime and posting the video online can lead to an arrest, charge and conviction of the offence,” the spokesperson said.

A house boarded up in West Kempsey. Picture: Janine Watson

The spokesperson said social media has become both a hindrance and a valuable tool in fighting crime, including youth crime.

“While police have seen social media used to promote violence and share inappropriate content, it also is a platform police use to collect intelligence and identify offenders,” they said.

Police have called on the community to empower youth to make the right decisions through statewide and localised engagement programs.

A car burnt out in a park on Keith Moses Crescent, West Kempsey. Picture: Janine Watson

“There needs to be a concerted, societal effort to instil a sense of belonging and purpose to enable at-risk young individuals to reach their full potential,” the spokesperson said.

“This could mean encouraging kids into activities such as work, school, community or sport.

“Everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and our officers will be doing everything they can to catch those responsible, but we need everyone to play their part by securing homes and vehicles.”

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