Plea to parents after 5-year-old boy accused of burglary, joyride in NSW town of Bourke

When police began investigating late-night break-ins in the western town of Bourke one thing hit them hard — one of the alleged offenders was just five years old.

A five-year-old boy is one of four children wanted over a home break-in and then fleeing in a stolen vehicle, in a case that has shocked and saddened police trying to curb youth crime in the bush.

They will allege the kindergarten-age child – along with three other young males, believed to be aged 12 – entered a home in Bourke at 2am on Friday

The woman living in the house woke to the noise of the intruders entering via the rear door. They then took keys to a Mitsubishi Outlander and fled.

Later that morning, police patrolling the western NSW town observed a Mitsubishi SUV matching the description of the stolen vehicle and attempted to pull over the driver.

The vehicle failed to stop, forcing police to engage in a pursuit that was quickly terminated once they realised the age of the occupants and the potential risk.

Police are continuing their investigation and are working with representatives from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, concerned about the welfare of the children.

Shuttered store fronts in the NSW outback town of Bourke. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Assistant Commissioner Rod Smith, the Western Region commander, said the break-in was an example of the extremely challenging issues confronting police and the broader community.

“From a police perspective, dealing with offenders of such a young age, we are extremely concerned about the level of supervision and parental guidance along with their care and wellbeing,” he said.

“The propensity for people who are meant to be caring for these kids to not hold them to account is very troublesome and we are seeing the perpetuation of the offending. This is leading kids down a very dangerous path.”

Mr Smith said Indigenous elders in communities such as Bourke were expressing concerns that parents were not calling out bad behaviour.

Rod Smith Assistant Commissioner and Regional Commander for West Region.

“In some cases, we’re finding parents and caregivers providing false alibis for these young people.”

Mr Smith said while the job of police was predominantly law enforcement by protecting the community and making it safe by holding offenders to account, they were also cognisant of much bigger issues that required a whole-of-government approach.

This involved working closely with other agencies to address the issues around the health and wellbeing and education of young people.

Mr Smith said social media was an underlying issue, with young people in different towns trying to outdo each other with the level of risk in their illegal behaviour, sometimes coupling with drug abuse.

He said Bourke, Moree, Tamworth and Dubbo were all areas where police were doing their best to work with the communities to stop the frightening trend of young people robbing houses, stealing cars and carrying weapons.

Police have responded to the rise in youth crime in regional areas with Operation Regional Mongoose, which involves the region enforcement squad who are the “proactive hunters”, criminal investigators, covert operations – including technical surveillance operatives – and, importantly, youth liaison officers.

In launching the program last year, Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos said that while stopping the violence and fear in regional communities was his priority, stopping the trend was the end game.

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