NSW Police riot squad move into Moree to tackle youth crime wave

Youths are at times carrying out more than 70 per cent of crimes in NSW country towns, with locals saying it is the unprecedented level of violence that scares them the most.

Operation Regional Mongoose police in Moree conducting a search warrant. Picture: David Swift

Youths are at times carrying out more than 70 per cent of crimes in NSW country towns, with locals saying it is the unprecedented level of violence that scares them the most.

NSW Police have answered the state’s growing youth crime problem with Operation Regional Mongoose, which sees a mass of officers descend on a town whose nights often consist of children – some of them as young as 10 – arming themselves with knives or machetes, and breaking into homes to steal cars, in a bid to provide a “circuit breaker”.

Highlighting the seriousness of the youth crime crisis, Operational Regional Mongoose has arrested 145 people in the state’s west since last September — 103 of them were kids.

The Daily Telegraph was there last week as Operation Regional Mongoose rolled into Moree, which has become the poster town for youth crime in NSW following Premier Chris Minns’ announcement last week of bail accommodation funding specifically for the town.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos, who oversees the regional operations of the Force, said the violent nature of the crimes is the issue they are working hardest to curtail.

Operation Regional Mongoose rolled into Moree last week, with dozens of NSW Police swarming the troubled town. Picture: David Swift

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos in Moree last week. Picture: David Swift

“There’s always been a style of crime in Moree with young people breaking into homes, stealing cars and joy-riding,” Dep Comm Pisanos said.

“What’s changed is the filming, but I think the other thing that I really picked up on is the violence … and that violence is really concerning for not only the community, but also for the cops.

“That is what our role has been under Operation Regional Mongoose. We are dealing with crime problems that have always been here but now we are dealing with them because of an uptick in violence and the filming of the violence.”

There was no missing Operation Regional Mongoose when it rolled into Moree.

There was no missing the convoy of black NSW Police 4WDs as they rolled through Moree. Picture: David Swift

Three black Public Order and Riot Squad 4WDs, followed by another four unmarked police cars of detectives, created a convoy travelling right through the centre of what is a small town of little more than 8000 people.

As the cars drove towards the town’s south, which is littered with housing commission homes, interested locals followed the convoy in an effort to find out what was going on.

Operation Mongoose officers conducting a search warrant.

By the time the hulking members of the Riot Squad get out of their vehicles and file towards the front door of a known offender to carry out a Firearm Prohibition Order (FPO) search, locals are rapidly coming out of their homes with a mobile phone in hand to film them.

Highlighting just how significant the youth problem is, the target of the FPO — the same order regularly used on bikies and underworld figures – is a skinny 17-year-old boy.

Throughout the remainder of the night they respond to incidents such as deliberately lit fires, rocks through home windows and violent assaults.

Brooker cafe owner in Moree Shane Brooker.

Local cafe owner Shane Brooker, 63, was subject to one such horrific assault when young intruders broke into his home last year.

“One night last September my wife woke me up and said there was an enormous bang outside,” Mr Brooker said.

“I went out and looked at my front door, and there’s these kids smashing my front window and my front door – we’ve got a big heavy glass door, and they just caved it in.

“The kids are teenagers, so I’ve yelled at them and then they put their hands through and burst through the door.

“So I’ve gone at them and the next thing I remember, I’ve come to and I’m lying on the ground in a pool of my own blood.”

After attacking Mr Brooker the youths confronted his wife and demanded the keys to her car, before pushing her up against a wall, with a neighbour thankfully running to their aid to snatch her handbag and keys back as the youths ran away.

The statistics uncovered by Operation Regional Mongoose show that crimes, such as the attack on Mr Brooker, are far too common.

In towns such as Moree, Dubbo and Tamworth in the state’s west, more than one in three charges laid by officers for Operation Regional Mongoose have been for crimes relating to motor vehicle theft or break and enter offences.

Deputy Commissioner Pisanos said it was important the residents of these towns knew police were determined to solve the problem.

“I think communities like Moree have been largely very patient, this hasn’t just happened overnight. It’s been developing and it has been, you know, deteriorating,” he said.

“I think all we can ask the community is to work with us, and I don’t say be patient, but we need some time.

“And I think the message probably from me is that you have been patient, your voices are definitely being heard, and we’re here to start to work pathways out of the position we’re in to bring out the best in towns like Moree.”

POLICE VOW TO TAKE ACTION

By Tijana Birdjan

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Rod Smith addressed the media in Dubbo on Monday over the issue, saying the level of violence was “unprecedented”.

“[They’re] forcefully entering people’s homes in the middle of the night, motel rooms, particularly targeting elderly and vulnerable people with weapons and distributing or displaying a lot of violence,” he said.

“We’ve always had kids break into homes, but just the level of violence is quite unprecedented.

Deputy Commissioner of Regional NSW Paul Pisanos with Assistant Commissioner and Regional Commander for West Region Rod Smith.

“So we are enhancing more of our resources and throwing more at this operation in an attempt to identify and hold accountable the offenders who are responsible.

“We will continue to dedicate our resources across the state and Western NSW to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can with the resources we have to keep them safe, but also send a message to the offenders who are doing this.”

Mr Smith said the police force had “no tolerance”.

“We intend to keep locking them up, putting them before the court and holding them to account,” he said.

“Sitting behind that though, there needs to be some diversionary strategies so we don’t just keep locking up offenders, particularly young offenders, who are then released on bail.

“The Youth Action Meetings are a central component of this - they’re already up and running in a number of locations in NSW and we will continue to run them.

“We measure success in the decrease in the number of violent crimes and a number of offences being committed - that’s ultimately what we’re here to do - reduce crime and reduce fear and violence.

“Anything that helps us to hold young offenders accountable is a good thing and it’s a frustration from not only the police but the community that young people are committing serious crime, serious and violent crime, that are putting people’s lives at risk. I don’t think we can underplay that.”

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Originally published as NSW Police riot squad move into Moree to tackle youth crime wave