MAYOR Susannah Pearse and Moree Plains Shire Council general manager Kelvin Tytherleigh last week met with Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Police Yasmin Catley and Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos to discuss ongoing crime problems in Moree.
The meetings came after a spate of crime across the district in recent weeks, committed by adults as well as juveniles.
Staff at a local Caltex service station were last week held up at gunpoint and, in a separate incident, a 32-year-old man was charged with manufacturing 3D printed firearms and weapons in Moree.
Cr Pearse said the recent escalation in crime in the Moree region has been troubling for the community.
“As a local government, our job is to advocate to key state government decision-makers to ensure they understand the situation on the ground, and undertake the necessary measures to ensure our community’s safety,” Cr Pearse said.
“We are grateful to have had productive meetings with the Premier, Minister for Police and Deputy Commissioner Pisanos.
“We advised them, while we are appreciative of the initiatives already in the works targeting youth crime, the recent escalation has involved perpetrators of all ages,” she said.
Moree Plains Shire Council mayor, Susannah Pearse and Premier Chris Minns at Parliament House.
Member for Northern Tablelands, Brendan Moylan, addressed parliament about the rise of youth crime across the electorate.
He said the problems police and courts encounter when dealing with repeat young offenders were many.
“(Crime) is a serious problem not just in my hometown of Moree but right across my electorate and, indeed, right across regional New South Wales,” Mr Moylan told parliament.
“Just in the last 10 days alone in my electorate, we’ve had a series of very serious break-and-enters, including armed break-and-enters at Moree.
“We have had an incident in a shopping centre in Armidale involving a knife; we’ve had multiple cars stolen from Uralla; we’ve had a series of break-and-enters at Inverell and we’ve also had a series of break-and-enters and vandalism in Glen Innes – and that’s only in the last 10 days.
“Disappointingly, the majority of offenders of those alleged crimes were youth,” he said.
“I propose amendments to address the difficulties encountered by police prosecutors in rebutting doli incapax and propose an alternate scheme that courts could use to deal with young offenders,” he said.
Doli incapax is a legal principle stating children under the minimum age of criminal responsibility are unable to form criminal intent.
In New South Wales, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 10. For children between the ages of 10 and 14, there is a common law presumption of doli incapax, meaning the child is presumed incapable of committing a criminal act, unless the prosecution can prove otherwise.
To rebut the presumption, the prosecution must prove the child knew their actions were seriously wrong, and not just mischievous or naughty.
Moree Plains Shire mayor Susannah Pearse, council general manager Kelvin Tytherleigh with Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan, Minister for Police Yasmin Catley and Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos.
The prosecution must consider a number of factors when making this determination, including the child’s age, school records, background evidence, statements from parents, and psychological evidence.
“One possible solution would be that we seriously consider a diversionary programme for young offenders between the ages of 10 and 14 in circumstances where the only issue is that of doli incapax.
“(It could be done) so doli incapax remains but these young people are actually helped and given some treatment, and given some diversionary programmes.
“At the moment, I think, we’re failing these young offenders and we’re also failing our communities,” Mr Moylan said.
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