WAGGA police believe young Aboriginal men and teenagers with roots outside the city are responsible for much of the massive jump in property crime and car thefts over recent months.
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And the offenders are having a negative influence on young locals, some of whom are joining in the crime spree.
The sad reality is, teenagers from places such as Dareton and Lake Cargelligo have been convicted of, charged with or suspected of being responsible for scores of offences since August.
“When the boys from Dareton hit Wagga, our break and enters went up 125 per cent, similarly stealing motor vehicles,” said Wagga police crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Cloake.
“They came into Wagga in August and they just smashed it.”
The negative outside influences appear to be worsening already fragile social and family conditions in parts of Wagga as they couch surf under the roofs of vulnerable families.
Inspector Cloake said there were deep-seated social issues in parts of the Wagga community that have been there for a long time and cannot be fixed overnight.
He and others are actively engaged with the Aboriginal community in an attempt to address the issues.
“To fix them, the community needs to recognise them and work together to address them,” Inspector Cloake said.
“The key element I see in all of this is education. If we can get these kids back to school and get them learning it will provide opportunities for later in life.”
Of major concern to police repeat offenders.
Inspector Cloake said the state government set a figure for police to divert indigenous offenders away from the courts.
Alternatives include formal cautions and youth conferencing.
The Wagga Local Area Command has been able to meet that target just once over the past 12 months.
“We are unable to reach that benchmark mostly due to these young people extinguishing all these alternatives,” Inspector Cloake said.
“That is not to say we are have not been trying, but we could certainly use a hand from the Wagga community and their families.
“What we have noted of late is a lot of these young people are coming into town from other areas.
“They obviously have ties to the Wagga community in terms of family, but no ties to country.
“They are couch surfing between homes – family and friends.
“It’s difficult for police to locate and arrest them for the offences they have allegedly committed.”
He has this warning for people who harbour offenders.
“They are inviting the devil into their house, so to speak, and that can have consequences – it can be increased police attention, it can be wrecking their reputation and standing in the community, if that is important to them.”
Inspector Cloake, who has personally been involved in a number of the recent arrests, said he had spoken to Wagga families about housing offenders and the behaviour of their own children.
“We have gone and spoken to the parents of these young people to advise them of their children’s behaviour, but generally it’s the old ‘what else can we do, they won’t listen’,” Inspector Cloake said.
“I have started looking at the Parental Responsibility Act.”
Inspector Cloake said police were hearing some young men and teenagers considered being in a juvenile detention centre and then prison after they turned 18 to be a right of passage into adulthood.
“To me, if that is the message getting out it is a concerning one,” he said.
Police are taken aback at how bold and serious the offences are becoming.
“They are actually daring each other to be more brazen in their criminal actions, to commit higher-risk offences,” Inspector Cloake said.
“We are not talking about stealing lollies and other minor offences.
“We are talking about aggravated break and enter.
“As far as objective seriousness is concerned that is at the higher end; it carries 25 years.
“They are doing it while people are asleep in their homes and doing it while armed.
“That is just terrifying.”