Tamworth top cop Bruce Grassick warns social media sites escalating youth crime crisis in the bush

Social media notoriety is escalating the scourge of youth crime across NSW’s regional towns, frustrated police say.

Social media is escalating the scourge of youth crime across NSW’s regional towns, frustrated police say.

Oxley Police District Commander Superintendent Bruce Grassick, whose area of command includes the northwest towns of Tamworth and Gunnedah said crime in the area has been TikTok driven, causing “postcode wars”.

“Education made some really tactical changes about no mobile phones in schools, even though it had a lot of resistance, it’s actually paid dividends,” he said.

“But now we’re seeing more organised fights outside of schools.”

On social media, youth gangs in regional towns often use their postcode as their gang tag, graffitiing it over walls and using it as their social media handles.

“A lot of their activity is driven by notoriety from TikTok,” he said.

Oxley Police District Commander Superintendent Bruce Grassick. Picture: David Swift

The Daily Telegraph has previously revealed harrowing stories of a 74-year-old in North Tamworth being too afraid to sleep at night after being broken into my young people.

In Dubbo, an 84-year-old man was getting out his far when a youth dressed in red stabbed him five times with a serrated knife.

In Gunnedah, six cars were stolen from homes and set alight in a single week last year.

Orana midwest Police district commander Superintendent Timothy Chinn, who looks after areas like Dubbo and Coonamble agreed TikTok was having a huge effect on youth crime.

“They get that notoriety from showing off to their mates from different communities and around the whole country,” he said.

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