Social media, bullies and the rise of youth crime in regional NSW

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has targeted juvenile ringleaders to cut off the forces behind a regional NSW youth crime wave that has even seen a five-year-old recruited to break and enter.

Operation Soteria will see 80 officers – 60 dedicated and 20 supplementary officers redeployed from other stations across the state – randomly patrol nine key areas, including Dubbo, Moree, Tamworth and Newcastle. The aim is to address an escalation of violence in offenders aged 11 to 16, focusing on aggravated break, enter and steal offences and car theft. Police will also monitor social media to identify young offenders promoting their crime online.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb visits Wellington police station in regional NSW. Credit: Louise Kennerley

While children in cities steal cars to sell to organised crime figures, Webb told the Herald’s Amber Schultz that youth crime in regional areas is driven by local fame and social media likes and as children try to outdo one another, the severity of the crime escalates. “We’ve had elderly people who have been bashed. It’s not out of belief that someone will be killed,” she said.

Webb warned “we’re going to lose a generation of children”, but tackling regional youth crime is personal. She grew up in the town of Boorowa.

Since new “post and boast” legislation came into effect 12 months ago, 53 people have been charged; 27 were under 16. The new laws impose an additional two-year penalty for those who advertise their criminal involvement on social media. This week, a 16-year-old was sentenced to two years under the new laws after he stole a luxury car in Moree, drove it at 150 km/h and posted about it on Snapchat.

Across Australia, state governments are wrestling with the issue but overall, youth crime has remained stable in NSW. But what has changed in our state is that the severity of crimes committed has escalated. As a consequence, ringleaders and reoffenders will be a major focus of the new police operation. Webb said an alarming number of children as young as 10 were reoffending within 36 hours of being released from police custody, while ringleaders were recruiting younger children to crawl through pet doors and assist with break and enters, or commit more serious offending as they’re less likely to face jail time. Young offenders identified under Operation Soteria will be referred to programs to address youth reoffending.

Youth crime in the regions has been on ongoing issue but its progression to violence and social media swagger has gone almost unnoticed. Yet when the public starts to feel the impact of a change in crime, law enforcement is often blamed for failing its duty to maintain public safety, and governments are accused of failing to tackle underlying social issues and invest in preventive measures.

The problems are much more systemic than the police can deal with, but the evolving

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situation in NSW has potential to become much worse and must be confronted head on. Webb’s decision to declare war on regional youth crime is a step in the right direction.

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