A structured town meeting for Moree residents to discuss the escalation of youth crime and violence in the town will be held at Jellicoe Park at 9am on Saturday, March 1.
Meeting organisers, including local resident Col Pring and Moree councillor Kelly James, have invited members from both sides of state and federal politics, all Moree Plains Shire councillors and senior officers from NSW Police to speak and hear community concerns.
“This gathering aims to provide a platform for open dialogue, where we can collectively hear from victims, hear our stance on youth crime, and explore solutions and strategies to address this critical issue,” Mr Pring said.
“We invite these dignitaries to join us on Saturday, March 1 to share perspectives, listen to community concerns, and discuss potential solutions.
“We are eager to hear about the initiatives and policies in place, or plan to change or further implement, to tackle crime in our community,” he said.
Key areas for discussion include:
Strategies for preventing and reducing crime;
Support services for victims of crime;
Community-based initiatives for rehabilitation and reintegration that are going to work;
Collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community groups that will make a difference;
Support of the private members bill made by Brendan Moylan on youth crime; and
Support of the current petition to parliament focusing on young offenders acts and legislation reform.
Moree councillor Kelly James and local resident Col Pring are part of a group organising a structured town meeting at Jellicoe Park to address youth crime and violence in Moree.
“We believe that by working together, we can create a safer, more resilient community,” Mr Pring said.
Member for Northern Tablelands, Brendan Moylan, has been invited to the meeting and indicated he will attend.
Last week, Mr Moylan gave notice in Parliament of the introduction of the Regional Youth Crime Reform Bill. The Bill seeks to make three significant changes to address the ongoing youth crime problems in regional New South Wales.
The three proposed changes include:
Reversal of doli incapax (a legal principle stating children aged 10-14 are incapable of forming criminal intent);
To remove the loophole in section 22 of the Bail Act so courts, including the Supreme Court, are not permitted to grant bail to serious juvenile repeat offenders; and
To require courts to place greater weight on the impact on the victim when sentencing an offender.
Mr Moylan acknowledges the importance of diversionary programs but believes serious repeat offenders should be held accountable.
“We must hold offenders accountable for the harm they cause innocent victims and the broader community,” Mr Moylan said.
“While diversionary programs are important, the community needs the laws to change so they are protected, and offenders are dealt with properly and not released without proper consequences.
“Continually throwing money at this problem won’t change it.”
Moree Plains Shire mayor, Susannah Pearse, applauded Mr Moylan’s stance.
“What Brendan has done is very brave, and I commend his actions. Youth crime is a very serious problem, facing all of rural and regional New South Wales,” she said.
Cr Pearse said fierce lobbying from the Country Mayors Association of NSW in March last year saw the NSW Government open an inquiry into community safety in regional and rural communities.
The inquiry was opened for submissions and has held a number of hearings, with consultation open until May this year.
Nearly 200 submissions were lodged, including a 32-page submission from the Country Mayors Association of NSW and a 17-page submission from Local Government NSW.
Cr Pearse wants part of the parliamentary inquiry moved to Moree.
“There has not been a hearing in the Moree Plains and I’m sure everyone agrees it is important that we have one. As mayor of Moree, I am requesting this as a matter of urgency,” Cr Pearse said.
“The people of the Moree Plains are saying enough is enough.
“The scourge of youth crime is having huge impacts on good, law-abiding people from across our community.
“While the meeting on March 1 will draw attention to the issue, we need the community’s voices to be heard by those that make the laws and control the courts – the state government,” she said.
Councillor Kelly James has lodged motions to be heard at Moree Plains Shire Council’s ordinary meeting today, calling for support to action the State and Federal Governments to initiate changes to legislation relating to Castle Law, doli incapax and the Young Offenders Act.
“As a deeply concerned resident of Moree and a local councillor, I find myself increasingly swamped with phone calls, text messages, and social media discussions about the escalating crime rates in our community,” Cr James said.
“The sense of urgency and despair among us is palpable, and it’s time we took action.
“We face a major issue – juveniles committing grave offences, but their penalties do not reflect the severity of their actions under current New South Wales laws,” she said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman, Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib, Shadow Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Paul Toole and Shadow Minister for Youth Justice Aileen MacDonald are among those invited to attend the town meeting.
Residents across the region are also encouraged to get behind a Parliamentary ePetition requesting the NSW Government to change the Young Offenders Act.
The ePetition was presented by Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, following recent spikes in crimes committed by repeat offenders.
The ePetition is seeking to:
Strengthen bail laws to prevent violent young offenders from re-offending;
Provide increased resources and support for police officers to effectively apprehend and prosecute offenders; and
Review the judicial system to prioritise community safety.
The ePetition requires 20,000 signatures to be scheduled for debate in Parliament and can be viewed and signed HERE.
Moree town meeting to address crime and violence
When: Saturday, March 1
Where: Jellicoe Park, Moree
Time: 9am
I believe that we should work towards a rehabilitation property with funded specialists and drug rehabilitation and skills training with experts to take repeat offenders and break the cycle. Bail laws should reflect the severity of the crimes and there should be consequences. The Chris Riley Off the Streets program of earlier days in Sydney was an effective model which changed the cycle of some young persons’ behavior.