LOCAL residents, service providers, government agency representatives, NSW police and Moree Plains Shire councillors attended two public meetings on Thursday programmed to update stakeholders about place-based initiatives rolled out across the Moree Plains shire in the past 12 months.

One of the main topics discussed at the open forums, hosted by the Premier’s Department, was the proposed Moree Bail Accommodation Program.

The program, part of a broader initiative to address youth crime, will provide accommodation and support for young people granted police bail but unable to return home.

The program is designed to offer a safe and supportive environment, help young people meet their bail conditions and connect with essential services while awaiting court appearances.

The NSW Government has confirmed funding for the program for a three-year period, with Youth Justice working with property specialists from Property and Development NSW to secure a site.

NSW Governor General Michael Daley, who later in the day officially opened Moree’s new Legal Aid office, addressed stakeholders at Social Co House and spoke chiefly about the proposed bail accommodation facility.

“The Premier (Chris Minns) has taken a personal interest in Moree and the crime situation here,” Mr Daley said.

“He’s been up here a number of times, and we’ve heard the initiatives the government’s undertaking.”

Mr Daley urged residents and stakeholders not to misunderstand the intended role of the bail accommodation facility.

“I understand there’s been a little bit of community pushback. It’s all about taking care of young people and giving them somewhere to go,” Mr Daley said.

(from left) Miyay Birray CEO Darrel Smith, NSW Governor General Michael Daley, Moree Plains mayor Susannah Pearse and Moree Plains deputy mayor Wayne Tighe at the first of two public meetings in Moree on Thursday.

“I speak to magistrates all the time, and they all say they wish there were more resources, and support for young people.

“If they (magistrates) don’t have somewhere to send them, like a bail accommodation service, the kids will go to gaol until their court case comes up.

“Please don’t misunderstand what the bail accommodation service is – it’s to help break the intergenerational cycle, and we really want to get that done as quickly as possible,” he said.

Earlier this year, Youth Justice held a competitive tender and awarded the bail accommodation program to a partnership of Miyay Birray Youth Services, Moree SHAE Academy and Pius X Aboriginal Corporation.

Well-known local Adam See has been appointed project manager of the new resource.

Miyay Birray CEO Darrel Smith said the new facility will work with young people, address their issues, and provide skills and training.

“We’ve been working since February this year, looking at how we can deal with these young people who have obviously been through the system a number of times and fall back and do the same crimes or other crimes,” Mr Smith said.

“One of the reasons for a delay in starting the program has been finding a suitable location or premises.

“Ideally, we would like to have a house out of town, within 20 minutes’ travel that would have some land available to do rural and other employment training skills.

“We have been working hard since April this year to find a suitable site but have not been successful so far due to knockbacks from vendors,” he said.

“We want to look at how we can work with young people to make sure that just locking them up is not the answer; work with them so they can address some of the issues they have – give them the skills and ability to address their needs.

“It’s going to be whole-of-community engagement,” he said.

“It’s still in the development stage and about how we can look at what hasn’t worked in the past.

“We want to look at how we can address some of these issues around getting those young people the support they need.

“It may be health, it may be education, it may be problems at home, it may be employment – all those types of things we need to look at and how we can get our people and staff offering support in those areas.

“We are looking at reducing offending, but also making sure those young people feel safe in the service they have,” he said.

Mr Smith said having the right staff will be critical to providing the right services and training.

“We’ve been working with TAFE, the Office of the Children’s Guardian and NSW Department of Communities and Justice about new training packages for the community,” he said.

“This is the first time we’ve got those three groups together to develop some training that’s going to be really purpose-driven.

“We are looking at a whole different approach. It’s not just about having a place where young people can stay, but somewhere they can become engaged and involved because these aren’t easy kids we’ll be working with.

“We’ll have the right people working with them, because if we don’t have that, it’s a waste of time,” Mr Smith said.

Local crime data stretching back more than 10 years was presented by NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research executive director, Jackie Fitzgerald.

Also in attendance were New England Police District Superintendent Chris McKinnon, Moree-based New England Police District Inspectors Dwayne De Vries and Shane Robinson, Moree Plains Shire mayor Susannah Pearse and deputy mayor Wayne Tighe, and councillors Deb Williams, Kerry Cassells and Fred McGrady.

“It was great to see a large number of community members attend the two sessions hosted by the Premier’s Department,” Cr Pearse said.

“The statistics presented by Jackie Fitzgerald of BOCSAR recognised that what our community is grappling with is not an escalation of crime, but a stable, long-term pattern of high crime, confirming what many in our community have known and experienced.

“While there are some promising signs of improving trends, every victim of crime is a victim too many.

“We need to use the unfortunate spotlight being shone on our town and troubles right now to drive long-term change and support those trying to make a difference,” she said.

“We cannot let this be a flash in the pan. We are in a unique position to have the Premier and his department’s attention on trying to find solutions. This kind of support is the envy of the many other areas in New South Wales grappling with the same issues.

“My hope is that we all pull together as a community, and work with the Premier’s Department and all those trying to make a difference, to achieve the long-term change our community deserves,” Cr Pearse said.

Governor General Michael Daley praised the work of the NSW Police force, particularly officers in Moree.

“I’m a former police minister, and I had the opportunity to work closely with police in my time as a minister,” Mr Daley said.

“They do an amazing job. They’ve thrown enormous resources at Moree, and they never stop. The police are the only government agency that’s on duty in New South Wales 24 hours a day.

“When everyone else knocks off at 5pm, they don’t,” he said.