POLICE MINISTERSPEAKS OUT ON RURAL CRIME

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley praised Maranguka for it’s work with youth. Photo contributed

Rising crime, especially in rural towns has been a hot topic lately.

The NSW government’s announcement of new youth crime reforms last week has brought both supporters and critics, but Ms Catley said the facts speak for themselves.

“We know there is a regional crime issue right across New South Wales and with the use of the crime statistics from BOCSAR, we know that in Moree has the highest rate of car theft in the state and for breaking into property, Moree rates second highest in the state,” she said.

“On the back of that and the community concern, we decided to put the regional crime package in place.”

Ms Catley said youth regional crime is nothing new and remains a significant problem for police. While Moree is a focus, she says the reforms are for all the regions.

“We need to make sure that people feel safe in their communities and it’s government’s responsibility to do something about it,” Ms Catley said. “Towards $400 million has been spent on programs targeting youth and crime but we’re still seeing the statistics increase, so what we’re doing now is a little bit outside the box.” […]

Read more in the printed edition of The Western Herald.

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