Little support in Wagga for raising criminal age to 14 years following ACT parliament vote

Wagga Crime Prevention Working Group member and youth representative Thomas Gardiner said he did not support raising the age of criminal responsibility even though juvenile crime was decreasing in the city.

"I just think it send the wrong message," he said.

"I hear it all the time about young kids, not even vandalism but abusing people in the streets at a significantly young age and definitely under 14.

"There is a statistic [on juvenile crime in Wagga] that I requested and we had a look at during the last meeting. The figure is down at the moment, which is a positive outcome, but it is still there and it is still a problem."

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the numbers of offences committed by people aged 10 to 17 within the Wagga City Council area have generally been in decline for the past two years.

However, the rate of juvenile offences for assault in Wagga remains more than double the NSW average and the number of juvenile drug offences has been rising over the 12 months to March.

The Greens were able to pass a motion in the territory's parliament last week in support raising the age at which children can face criminal prosecution and potentially juvenile detention, which is being considered by the national Council of Attorneys-General.

ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said "children as young as 10 simply don't belong in prison".

"Where children are imprisoned, it sets the trajectory for the rest of their lives and increases the risk they will be involved in the adult criminal justice system as they mature.

"We can better support these children by providing them with the help they need to stay on the right path."

Wagga-based NSW Nationals MLC Wes Fang condemned the Greens' motion as "weak on law and order".

"It's an example of how out-of-touch they are with community expectations," he said.

"I think by the age of 10, the evidence I'm aware of indicates a child of that age understands the difference between right and wrong.

"Certainly by the age of 14 they would have been aware for a number of years what is right and wrong and to increase the age without a justifiable reason or evidence i think is pandering to their inner-city, leftist mates rather than the expectations of rural and region communities that know what youth crime is and its effects on the community."

Wagga MP Joe McGirr said he would wait for a report from the Council of Attorneys-General on the issue, which is due next year.