Courts told to crack down as 288 teens caught in citywide rampage

Victims of crime are begging courts to crack down on kids as young as 12 who are contributing to a crime wave that police say is becoming increasingly violent. Watch the CCTV here.

They may be young, but their crimes are premeditated and increasingly dangerous.

More than 280 teenagers, some as young as 12, have been nabbed in the past 18 months for breaking into 975 homes and stealing 786 high-powered cars, many racing across Sydney at speeds of more than double the legal limit.

Alarmingly, more than 100 offenders have committed crimes while on bail, and five have breached their bail between 10 and 15 times.

Police and other authorities are looking at a range of measures to tackle this “worrying trend”, with some saying courts taking a tougher stance on revoking bail would be a good start.

Traumatised victims are calling for the culprits to be treated like adults — if they “have no qualms about committing adult offences, that should see them in jail”.

CCTV footage of a gang robbing a Sydney service station.

One of the youths climbs over the counter to steal cash.

The thugs leave the servo after attacking the attendant.

One man, who was robbed when an intruder came through his doggie door in northern Sydney, said children were getting let out on bail only to go and do “the exact same thing again”.

“Maybe it’s time to start thinking about not giving them bail,” said the 43-year-old man, who asked not to be named for fear of another robbery.

Meantime Strike Force Sweetenham, formed in response to the rise in aggravated break and enters, and thefts of luxury vehicles across Sydney, is taking a “zero tolerance approach” to crimes against innocent people in their homes and on the roads, and will use its extra resources to extend both “investigative and proactive capabilities”.

Sweetenham top cop Detective Superintendent Darren Newman told The Saturday Telegraph the concern for his team “isn’t just the theft, it’s the significant and very real danger that these kids pose to every other community member and road user when they get behind the wheel”.

“It’s not just about their lack of driving skills; it’s their reckless abandon and blatant disregard for the safety of others that magnifies the threat,” he said.

Operation Sweetenham bosses (L to R): Detective Inspector Guy Magee, Detective Superintendent Darren Newman and Detective Inspector Graham Hibbs. Picture: Julian Andrews

Youths are stealing luxury cars to hoon around the city.

Senior police say they have evidence to suggest cohorts of kids, often aged between 12 and 14, are stealing luxury cars to sell to crime gangs for between $5000 and $10,000.

Others do it for social media notoriety, but for the majority of cases the common theme is “just for the thrill of it”.

No suburbs are immune — crimes are occurring from the northern beaches to Blacktown — and cars of choice are varied.

Hot favourites are Mercedes, with 171 pinched, 118 BMWs gone missing and 98 Audis stolen from suburban driveways.

Supt Newman said the strike force had recently seen the reality of these inexperienced youths driving high-performance vehicles and crashing, highlighting the “grave risks these underage drivers pose to themselves and the public”.

And while the teens might not go into homes looking to be violent, a recent service station robbery shows the “lengths they’re prepared to go to when interrupted”.

Service station attendant Gourab Solke was assaulted last month after confronting five teens suspected of a spree of break and enters across Camden hours earlier.

The group — who drove to the station in two allegedly stolen SUVs — a BMW X5 and VW — are accused of punching, kicking, and throwing objects at Mr Solke.

When he fell to the ground, the group can be seen on CCTV camera kicking him, while two males ran into the service station and stole cigarettes and cash.

Mr Solke, who was treated for multiple injuries, including a suspected broken nose, bruising and lacerations, told The Saturday Telegraph the encounter was frightening.

“I went over to the bowser when they just started attacking me,” he said.

“They didn’t say much, it was very scary.

“You don’t expect something like that to happen at 4am in the morning.”

Det Supt Newman said the robbery was just one example of an “innocent person being seriously injured, or worse, if they cross paths with the intruders”.

Exclusive data released to The Saturday Telegraph shows that since January last year, there was “a concerning pattern” where 62 per cent of those committing break and enter offences and stealing vehicle were juveniles.

Of the 288 individuals who have been charged with a total of 2410 offences, 102 were charged with 297 breach of bail offences.

Det Supt Newman said police at every opportunity looked to divert young people away from the criminal justice system.

Youth engagement officers are now being embedded into the strike force teams, which also work closely with other specialist units, including forensics, Pol-Air and highway patrol.

“Rest assured, our response isn’t just reactive. Our teams are out in the community, actively patrolling, and gathering information to prevent potential offences,” he said.

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