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Sydney Morning Herald
30-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Post-and-boast' youth criminals targeted by covert intelligence
NSW Police already have 'real-time capability', but it is extraordinarily resource-intensive. In Queensland, an entire unit was established in mid-2023 to target youth crime. Soteria will be a test bed to see if a similar model should be established in NSW. Soteria has so far investigated 255 break-ins and 197 stolen cars across the state's northern and western regions. Of the 164 people charged, 119 were under the age of 18. More than one-third of the total were on bail for similar offences at the time of their arrest. Pisanos said Soteria's arrests had netted repeat offenders, who had been given bail time and again by the courts, and had become 'ringleaders' or 'influencers' among other vulnerable youngsters. Loading Those criminal influencers were targeted again over the weekend, with 33 people charged in a blitz around Dubbo and Walgett as police went door to door to check up on bailed young people. Among them, police allege, was a 15-year-old boy found with the keys to a stolen SUV in his Walgett home. Police claim he and a second teenager broke into the home of an 89-year-old man, threatened him with a baseball bat, and fled in his car, leading police on a high-speed chase. An hour later police swooped on the co-accused, a 14-year-old boy. 'We will extend a hand in help to those who want it, but extend police tactics and a set of handcuffs to those who don't and continue to commit these violent offences,' Pisanos said. In late March, Premier Chris Minns extended strict laws making it harder for young people accused of repeat car theft and break-ins to be released on bail. Magistrates need to have 'a high degree of confidence', under Section 22C of the Bail Act, that an accused child will not commit a serious offence while on bail. That same month the youth prison population was at 229, 10 per cent higher than one year earlier. 'Unfortunately, the fight for us continues when you realise 36 per cent of those charged in the last three months had already been given bail,' Pisanos said. 'We need the courts to use 22C when dealing with young, violent recidivists.' Crime statistics from the last two decades universally show two main trends; property crime, including theft, break-in and robbery, is dropping while sexual and domestic violence is rising. But a more granular examination of data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reveals that over the last two years many regions have recorded localised spikes in break-ins, robberies and car thefts. Dubbo, Gunnedah, Inverell, Leeton, Lismore, Moree, Narrandera, Narromine, Newcastle, Parkes, Tamworth, Walgett, Tenterfield, Warrumbungle Shire and Coonamble are areas impacted, according to the latest BOCSAR data. But among the personal tragedies and shocking statistics about youth incarceration, there are shoots of hope. More than 80 young people have been referred to youth action meetings – known as YAMs – under Soteria, which involves police working with government and non-government services to try to turn their lives around. 'I met with a young 13-, 14-year-old boy in Dubbo, he walked himself into the PCYC and wanted to learn boxing,' Pisanos said.
The Age
30-06-2025
- The Age
‘Post-and-boast' youth criminals targeted by covert intelligence
NSW Police already have 'real-time capability', but it is extraordinarily resource-intensive. In Queensland, an entire unit was established in mid-2023 to target youth crime. Soteria will be a test bed to see if a similar model should be established in NSW. Soteria has so far investigated 255 break-ins and 197 stolen cars across the state's northern and western regions. Of the 164 people charged, 119 were under the age of 18. More than one-third of the total were on bail for similar offences at the time of their arrest. Pisanos said Soteria's arrests had netted repeat offenders, who had been given bail time and again by the courts, and had become 'ringleaders' or 'influencers' among other vulnerable youngsters. Loading Those criminal influencers were targeted again over the weekend, with 33 people charged in a blitz around Dubbo and Walgett as police went door to door to check up on bailed young people. Among them, police allege, was a 15-year-old boy found with the keys to a stolen SUV in his Walgett home. Police claim he and a second teenager broke into the home of an 89-year-old man, threatened him with a baseball bat, and fled in his car, leading police on a high-speed chase. An hour later police swooped on the co-accused, a 14-year-old boy. 'We will extend a hand in help to those who want it, but extend police tactics and a set of handcuffs to those who don't and continue to commit these violent offences,' Pisanos said. In late March, Premier Chris Minns extended strict laws making it harder for young people accused of repeat car theft and break-ins to be released on bail. Magistrates need to have 'a high degree of confidence', under Section 22C of the Bail Act, that an accused child will not commit a serious offence while on bail. That same month the youth prison population was at 229, 10 per cent higher than one year earlier. 'Unfortunately, the fight for us continues when you realise 36 per cent of those charged in the last three months had already been given bail,' Pisanos said. 'We need the courts to use 22C when dealing with young, violent recidivists.' Crime statistics from the last two decades universally show two main trends; property crime, including theft, break-in and robbery, is dropping while sexual and domestic violence is rising. But a more granular examination of data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reveals that over the last two years many regions have recorded localised spikes in break-ins, robberies and car thefts. Dubbo, Gunnedah, Inverell, Leeton, Lismore, Moree, Narrandera, Narromine, Newcastle, Parkes, Tamworth, Walgett, Tenterfield, Warrumbungle Shire and Coonamble are areas impacted, according to the latest BOCSAR data. But among the personal tragedies and shocking statistics about youth incarceration, there are shoots of hope. More than 80 young people have been referred to youth action meetings – known as YAMs – under Soteria, which involves police working with government and non-government services to try to turn their lives around. 'I met with a young 13-, 14-year-old boy in Dubbo, he walked himself into the PCYC and wanted to learn boxing,' Pisanos said.
West Australian
08-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
‘Weekly basis': Lawyer reveals why young people are still carrying knives, despite harsher laws
Harsher penalties will do little to curb the spike in youth knife crime unless the underlying reasons why they are being carried are addressed, a leading criminal lawyer has declared. Astor Legal principal lawyer Avinash Singh said he deals with people charged with knife offences on a weekly basis, with many also involved in the illegal drug trade. 'We have represented a number of minors accused of carrying knives – generally from lower socio-economic areas carrying knives for self-defence,' Mr Singh told NewsWire. 'Unfortunately, a lot of these young people have been assaulted and/or threatened themselves. 'They feel that reporting the matter to police after the fact will do them little good, particularly if they are seriously injured or even killed,' he said. 'As such, they often feel that they have to carry a knife to protect themselves.' The hard truth then, is that harsher crimes may not reduce offending, or make the community any safer, Mr Singh said. 'While it is understandable that governments and the community demand tougher laws to combat knife crime, this is unlikely to do much to reduce it in my opinion,' he said. 'People who carry knives are unlikely to stop just because of increased penalties. 'Research has found that they stop when they are no longer exposed to an environment where carrying a knife is seen as a necessity,' he said. 'This means addressing these communities by providing resources, programs and funding to prevent the issue – something governments have continuously failed to do.' The Victorian Allan Government announced in May it will be introducing laws to ban the sale and possession of machetes following an alleged spate of machete assaults. From September 1, those carrying a 'controlled weapon' or knife in Victoria will face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $30,700. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Premier Jacinta Allan said. 'I hate these knives, and I will keep introducing as many laws as it takes to get them off our streets, out of our shops and out of our lives.' Those found guilty in NSW face four years imprisonment fines up to $4,400. Mr Singh said he feared 'the expanded search powers will disproportionately be used against young people from lower socio-economic areas'. 'This leads to distrust of police and can in fact have the opposite effect – that is, young people keep knives but simply avoid police and are less likely to report crimes'. He said this is already seen in the rising amount of NSW youth caught up in the criminal system following legislation changes and bail reform. 'The strictest knife crime laws at present are in NSW. While the laws have only recently been introduced, there has been a noticeable increase in the courts seeing knife offences,' Mr Singh said. 'This, along with recent Bail Act reforms in NSW, has led to a marked increase in children being refused bail and held in custody, which does nothing to address their behaviour or promote rehabilitation of offenders.'
Irish Independent
10-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Man who allegedly bit, strangled and headbutt his ex-partner is refused bail over 'grave concerns' for alleged victim's safety
The 35-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the injured party, is charged with two counts of assault causing harm. He appeared before Tallaght District Court on Tuesday, where Garda Sarah Cullinane objected to bail on grounds of the nature and seriousness of the alleged offences, including the potential for witness interference. The court heard that the man is alleged to have bitten the woman on the forehead, strangled her, pulled her hair and smashed his forehead against her nose in separate incidents in April and July 2024. The woman sustained a broken nose and hospital records and photographs of her injuries were submitted as evidence. Appearing in court, the injured party said a friend believed she had been 'kidnapped' due to her sudden disappearance, and that she had returned to the relationship out of fear. She told the court she delayed reporting the assaults because she was in a 'controlling relationship' and only felt able to come forward after receiving support from counselling services and Women's Aid. Gardaí expressed serious concerns that, if released, the accused man would commit further offences, particularly given that he and his alleged victim share a child and have a volatile history. Defence solicitor Michael Hennessey said his client denies the allegations. He submitted that the accused man has no history of bench warrants, is now in a new relationship with a woman who is pregnant and was willing to abide by strict bail conditions, including a curfew and stay-away order. Judge Catherine Ghent said the facts of the case were of an extremely serious nature and that she had 'grave concerns' for the safety of the alleged injured party. She refused bail under Section 2 of the Bail Act and also cited O'Callaghan principles, noting the risk of further serious offences being committed. The accused was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday, May 13, at 10am.
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Victorian Labor's tough-on-crime turn could mark the beginning of the end for Jacinta Allan
It was meant to be the week Jacinta Allan took a firm stance on the 'crime crisis', but it could instead mark the beginning of the end for her government. It began on Monday with the Victorian premier announcing a new police taskforce, Operation Hawk, which appeared, on the surface, a decisive move to combat corruption on government construction sites. Within hours, it was revealed that the taskforce had already been operating for nine months. On Tuesday, Allan refused to say whether she had misled the public or was misled by Victoria police, instead stating she had been relying on the information provided to her by the new police commissioner. The pressure only intensified on Wednesday, when Allan was forced to fend off accusations of corruption and misconduct made by a former senior police officer. Then, on Thursday, came the release of the latest crime statistics data, showing a 13.2% increase in the state's crime rate – the highest since 2016. Offences committed by children aged between 10 and 17 rose to their highest levels since electronic records began in 1993. The Coalition was quick to seize on the data, with opposition leader, Brad Battin, accusing the government of failing to keep Victorians safe. 'The numbers don't lie – Labor has lost control of law and order and Victorians are paying the price,' he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email On this front, at least, the government appeared prepared. Earlier in the week, it had introduced changes to the Bail Act to parliament, claiming they would help reduce offending (though they have been widely criticised by legal, human rights and First Nations groups – and even privately by some within Labor's ranks). The premier and her several of her MPs took to social media to promote the so-called 'Tough Bail Bill', mirroring the media release announcing the bill, which used the word 'tough' or 'toughest' 33 times. Kos Samaras, a former Labor strategist and RedBridge director, has criticised the party's 'newfound love for being tough on crime', comparing it to a 'long political suicide note'. He says this isn't the first time the Victorian Labor party has found itself facing a 'crime crisis' – in 2016, when crime rates were similarly high and concern over the Apex gang hit overdrive, the opposition ramped up its attacks on law and order. In the lead-up to the 2018 election, Liberal MPs pushed a narrative centred on 'African gangs', including Peter Dutton's now-infamous comments about Melburnians being afraid to go out for dinner. The then premier, Daniel Andrews, didn't take the bait, and it proved to be a winning move for Labor. Crime, defence, and immigration are traditional strengths for the Coalition, and Samaras says Labor should remember that: 'Once you move onto your opponents' turf, you're going to lose'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Instead, Labor's success in 2018 came from a focus on its core issues of education, health, jobs and public transport. Federal Labor has emulated this, as it focuses on Medicare in the lead up to the May election. Perhaps the path forward for Victorian Labor can be found in data that went largely overlooked on Thursday: the huge increase in theft of groceries, clothing and alcohol linked to adult offenders, often in their 30s, facing cost of living pressures. The issue is the primary concern of voters, who have been crying out for bold ideas to ease the pressure. All Allan has offered them is $400 vouchers for school children and daily reporting on fuel prices. Instead, she's become known for backflips – from bail and raising the age of criminal responsibility, to ignoring recommendations for a second injecting room and a ban on duck hunting. The one issue on which the premier has has expressed a bold, progressive vision on is housing. In October, she vowed to make Victoria the 'townhouse capital' of Australia as part of a bid to help millennials own homes. It will take years, though, before any results are seen. A Labor insider said tackling cost of living would also work to reduce crime. 'Young people don't just commit crimes - it's a result of systemic, class-based disadvantage which cannot be ignored,' they said. 'It's very sad to see a supposedly centre left government focus on imprisonment and not the social and economic determinants of youth crime.' There's a lesson in this week for the Liberals too. While Battin, a former police officer, is comfortable talking tough on crime, after the 2018 loss, an internal review was scathing of the party's law and order strategy. According to the review, it was seen as a political tactic rather than a genuine plan to improve public safety – and only influenced 6% of voters and not necessarily in the Coalition's favour. The opposition needs more than just a focus on crime to win government and it needs unity, which already began to fray as it was revealed on Tuesday Battin went on a four-day cruise last week as debate over crime reached fever pitch. In the early hours of Friday morning, Labor's bail bill passed parliament. But the word 'tough' was missing from its title, after the opposition moved an amendment to scrap it, arguing it wasn't tough enough. While seemingly petty, the move underscores the reality for Allan: no matter what Labor does on law and order, the opposition is always prepared to go further. It's a political battle Labor simply can't win.
