Seventy five (75) offenders have been charged with over one hundred (100) offences already this month in Barwon Local Area Command. Significant arrests include:
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• a 15 year old male bail refused for his alleged involvement in arson, vehicle & property theft at Boggabilla;
• a 33 year old male bail refused for his alleged involvement in firearms and traffic offences – he was also charged with Skyes Law following a pursuit in Moree on Saturday 11 November 2017;
• seven (7) warrant offenders;
• and a 28 year old male remains bail refused after he was charged with arson offences at the Moree Cell Complex last month.
Barwon Local Area Commander, Superintendent Paul McDonald said “the use of covert and overt strategies to address drug and property crime has continued this past week include high visibility patrols on trail bikes within the Moree Sector”.
Police continue to stress the danger of rock throwing activities, and urge anyone who witnesses offenders throwing rocks at vehicles to contact them immediately. Mr McDonald said “the act of throwing a rock at a people, places and vehicles is not only cowardly and stupid, it is downright dangerous and Police have and will take action against identified offenders”. With many offenders identified as being young children it is a timely reminder for parents and carers to be aware of where their children are and what they are doing.
Superintendent McDonald said “juvenile offending in the Moree Sector is a real issue for Police right now with young persons aged as young as eight years being identified in property and street crime”.
Issues that are concerning for Police is that the offenders are not necessarily just from Moree and there are people, parents, carers and local residents, who are aware of the identity of these offenders.
"The New South Wales Police Force along with other government services, are focused on changing attitudes through intervention," Mr McDonald said.
"If you incarcerate an offender, whether they are a juvenile or an adult who continually commits offences, it's only common sense that while they are incarcerated the crime reduces until they are released.
"Then they revert to the ingrained behaviour and the challenge for us and other government agencies is to turn that around."
In the meantime Mr McDonald said the majority of juvenile offending was related to opportunistic property crime.
"If it's not locked up, it's not a matter of if, it's when it will get stolen," he said.
Police are also aware of anecdotal information relating to various crimes such as malicious damage, cruelty to animals and property crime within the Moree Sector however without reports directly from victims Police are unable to investigate.
Anyone with information that may assist police in relation to people wanted by the police; unsolved crimes and/or future crime that is being planned; or suspicious and unusual activity are urged to contact Police either by phoning Barwon Local Area Command on 02 6757 0799 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.