Strike Force Badger set up to chase TikTok burglars and car thieves across Newcastle

Helicopters, police dogs, detectives: Growing concerns over young criminals breaking into homes and stealing cars for social media boasts has prompted a significant response from senior police.

Image stills taken from TikTok videos on May 3 2022 of youth gangs stealing cars and breaking into homes.

A six-person strong strike force with access to more resources like helicopters and the dog squad has been established as Newcastle’s senior police “escalate” their response to the worrying crime trend seeing juvenile burglars stealing cars for social media-driven joy rides.

Strike Force Badger began quietly on Monday – the day before a group of youngsters stole three vehicles during one aggravated break and enter at a Hamilton South home and taking police on multiple chases before a 13-year-old girl was arrested.

It had become an all-too-familiar story for many suburbs throughout the Hunter, where houses were being targeted as their residents slept before car keys were taken and vehicles stolen so many of the young crooks could upload boastful videos on social media.

But the Pulver St triple-theft before dawn on Tuesday, which occurred amid growing community concerns about a perceived increase in brazen burglaries, has also prompted Newcastle City’s commander, Superintendent Kylie Endemi, to go public with her plan which goes up another few gears from last year’s Operation Mongoose.

Image stills taken from TikTok videos last year of youth gangs stealing cars and breaking into homes across Newcastle.

It would not just involved reactive measures but include seasoned investigators seconded to Strike Force Badger to get repeat offenders and possible ringleaders charged with serious offences and in front of courts or, at the least, on strict control orders and bail undertakings.

Supt Endemi said that although not all of those who are believed to have committed the burglaries and car thefts were juveniles, there was definitely an “over-representation” of children identified as being involved.

Newcastle City commander Supt Kylie Endemi.

And she said that also meant a responsibility to be measured in their response to the very young and vulnerable children who may be at a criminal “crossroads”, identifying programs through the Young Offenders Act and youth police policies which may detour them away from crime.

The only person arrested following Tuesday morning burglaries was a 13-year-old girl from Far West NSW who had never come to the attention of police before and had been dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.

Thieves stole three cars from the one house during an overnight aggravated break and enter on Pulver St, Hamilton South on January 24, 2023. Picture: Google Maps.

“Yes, we are deeply concerned in relation to these aggravated break and enters, car theft and pursuits and have introduced a significant response to better protect the community,” Supt Endemi told The Newcastle News.

“How we deal with these young people is also important – this is certainly not an epidemic where we have a large number of children doing these crimes.”

Image stills taken from TikTok videos last year of youth gangs stealing cars and breaking into homes across Newcastle.

But there was also intelligence of a number of organised and repeat offenders, including some who have threatened residents with knives when they have been cornered in suburbs such as Adamstown.

And there are serious concerns about what could happen with juvenile car thieves with no driving experience being a significant threat to themselves and others on the road.

Newcastle City crime manager Det Insp Steve Benson said Strike Force Badger would have the capacity to spend more time identifying those repeat offenders, using a “high-level investigative response” as well as the covert and overt operations already in place when Operation Mongoose was set up last year to chase youths uploading videos of their crimes on social media.

Strike Force Badger would also have other police resources at their disposal, including police helicopters, the dog squad and regional response to help when needed.

Police have also warned residents to make their homes and cars harder targets by locking doors and keeping valuables away from open spaces.