THE relentless tide of crime in Wagga is writ large on the pages of this newspaper daily.
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Cars stolen and burned out for little more than a juvenile thrill; homes broken into and ransacked for a hit of drugs.
But the brazen robbery and torching of an elderly couple’s home last weekend and the theft of $10,000 for a gravely ill child’s medical expenses mark a flashpoint in an already incendiary debate.
The impact of the juvenile crime wave is clear to see.
Victims lose property and lose faith in their community.
Many become so terrified they are rendered virtual prisoners in their own homes.
The gut-wrenching feeling of having your home – your sanctuary –invaded and desecrated is one that has to be experienced to be truly understood.
How we address the burgeoning crime epidemic presents a complex matrix to police, the courts and community leaders. And the truth is, there is no silver bullet solution.
Identifying and engaging at-risk youth, and tailoring programs to help them, is part of the puzzle, but it’s not fool proof.
Putting more legal onus and parents of delinquent kids would also help, but it’s not a panacea.
A punitive approach sounds good in theory, but locking a child up forever or, as some have suggested, giving them a “good flogging” is likely to push them to the fringes of society even further.
Even so, incarceration should not be a dirty word.
The government enacts laws but it is up to magistrates and judges to ensure those laws are used effectively.
The alarming rate of juvenile re-offending in Wagga suggests that is simply not happening.
Too many times, serial teen offenders are hauled before the magistrate on serious charges and walk straight back out the courtroom door minutes later.
Police have had a gutful, our political leaders feel powerless and the community is incensed.
When the law fails good people, good people take the law into their own hands.
It shouldn’t take a serious vigilante attack for the legal system to be jolted into action. And it certainly shouldn’t take the death of a law-abiding resident either.
It’s high time magistrates fell closer into line with community expectations on this issue.