Brad Hazzard & Stuart Ayres med rel: YOUTH CRIME RATES DROP

Attorney General Brad Hazzard and Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres today welcomed a new report that shows a major decline in youth crime rates over the last decade.

Figures released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) today reveal the number of teenagers and young adults arrested for robbery, break and enter and motor vehicle theft fell significantly between 2001 and 2012.

Mr Hazzard said investing in crime prevention is a major priority for the Government.

“Over the last few years we have seen crime rates falling or remaining steady in NSW and the decline in offending is larger amongst youths,” Mr Hazzard said.

“It is an encouraging sign this generation of 15-20 year olds is less likely to commit crimes such as robbery, break and enter and motor vehicle theft than those in 2001.”

Mr Hazzard said the Liberal & Nationals Government funds a range of innovative programs and initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing crime.

“In the last 12 months, we have provided nearly $600,000 in crime prevention grants to help local councils tackle these types of crimes by educating the community about protecting property and working with young people to deter anti-social behaviour.

“More broadly, we are investing in early intervention programs for juveniles such as Youth on Track to help break the cycle of crime and reoffending.

“Under this model, police and schools refer young people at risk so they can be assessed to address the underlying causes of crime such as substance abuse, educational problems, anger issues, mental illness, and family dysfunction.”

Mr Ayres said he was pleased to see a decline in the rate of adolescent and young adult offenders when it comes to property crime and robbery.

“Police are actively engaging with younger members of the community and we’re consistently seeing positive outcomes,” Mr Ayres said.

“The data in this report comes as no surprise to the hardworking police officers who interact with youth.

“Their outstanding work is clearly having a significant impact.”