A new approach to juvenile crime prevention in Bourke is hot off the press, as criminal activity from local youths remains at large for the town

CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes will see a $760,000 injection into an early intervention project to divert high-risk young people from criminal activity, establishing the Bourke Youth Van to facilitate engagement in cultural and educational activities for up to 200 youth.  

Bourke Shire Council General Manager Mark Riley said that he can’t put his finger on why the issue is so prominent for the town. 

“It’s probably fair to say that with Covid it’s been difficult to fill positions…and as a byproduct the attention to detail in terms of dealing with kids and families has probably reduced a little,” Mr Riley said. 

Already, various programs between council, police and local organisations are in place for the purpose of early intervention, yet the local figures have only risen in the last year. 

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, there were 178 incidents of malicious damage to property in the year up to December 2021, a rise of 21 incidents from the year prior. 

CatholicCare Aboriginal Men’s Hub Coordinator in Bourke Jamie Moore said that a gap in effective programs made an obvious difference. 

“They’re bored. The kids keep telling us that there is a lack of things to do in town,” Mr Moore said.

“We had a program called Youth Off The Streets that used to put activities on. Sadly due to funding they packed up their program and left so Bourke had a gap around afternoons and activities where there’s activities for kids,” he said. 

The program loss meant that the 40-50 kids who used to attend were now freed up and disengaged. 

CatholicCare WIlcannia-Forbes CEO Anne-marie Mioche said the funding will make a big difference to the Bourke community.

“We are delighted to have received this funding; our consultations in the community last year showed a real need to provide a program that would support children and young people after school, on weekends and during school holidays,” Ms Mioche said.  

A key aspect of the Bourke Youth Van is its mobility which will hopefully help find and engage with youth. 

“The idea of the youth van is that we keep it mobile and trial it at different locations to try and engage different cohorts,” Mr Moore said.

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood said the additional funding was in response to overwhelming demand from the community and will support organisations with demonstrated experience in helping marginalised youth, to build resilience, strengthen community connections and job readiness skills. 

“These community organisations do vital work in helping get young people on the right track. We know that some young people engage in activities or have negative experiences that leave them at risk of joining gangs, committing serious crimes and disengaging from the wider community,” Assistant Minister Wood said.  

“The challenges we’ve faced over the last two years as a result of the pandemic have only added to the sense of social isolation and disconnection that some young people feel.”