Teenage reoffending increasing in WA's north, despite million-dollar prevention program
Updated
There are growing calls for a bush-based detention facility in northern WA, with young offenders, police and politicians agreeing children are returning from detention in Perth hardened and more criminally inclined.
Each year, hundreds of children — who young offenders have told the ABC are being threatened with violence to commit break-ins by older people — are handcuffed and flown 2,000 kilometres to juvenile detention in Perth, in a process that is costing tax-payers more than half a million dollars a year in flights and security escorts.
Kimberley Police Superintendent Allan Adams says the current system was clearly not working.
"In my mind that's a failing of the Kimberley that our kids end up down there," he said.
"Largely the Kimberley kids are a relatively unsophisticated cohort of criminals … they go down to Perth, they learn a new skill set, and they come back to the community and wreak renewed havoc."
Juvenile crime is an ongoing source of angst in the Kimberley, where the rates of property crime — including car thefts, break-ins and vandalism — are the highest in WA.
Police say small groups of repeat offenders are burning up police time and infuriating residents to the point where vigilante retaliation is regularly threatened on social media.
One Kununurra store was broken into five times in a three-week period over Christmas and New Year, with a 15-year-old severing an artery and a 14-year-old girl breaking her foot in the most recent burglary.
Kimberley MP Josie Farrer, who is a Kija woman from Halls Creek, said more needed to be done to learn how and why young children were getting involved in crime.
"I think people in general are very frustrated because it seems like nothing's really working to stem the offences that are occurring," she said.
"I certainly believe that to overcome a lot of this … the Kimberley should have its own detention place, or a rehab place, on a cattle station or out bush, to teach the kids to work hard but also have some education as to why it's wrong to do this and do that."
Detained children 'shamed, stigmatised'
About 100 children per year are sent from WA's north to Banksia Hill Detention Centre, with the data showing most are Aboriginal boys aged 10 to 16.
Local lawyers have criticised the practice of young children being handcuffed and escorted onto commercial flights by security guards, saying it shames and stigmatises vulnerable, young people.
In recent years the WA Government has spent millions of dollars trying to reduce reoffending in the north, with a Regional Youth Justice Service rolled out in the Kimberley and Pilbara in 2010 at a cost of $44 million.
But an independently commissioned evaluation of the four-year program shows recidivism actually increased over the four years it ran.
Although, the report also acknowledged it successfully engaged more than 1,000 young people in the program, which included bush camps and mechanical workshops.
The Minister for Corrections Joe Francis declined to be interviewed or make a statement, but budget papers show funding has been slashed, with $7.5 million allocated for the current financial year, and none for 2017-18.
In a written statement, the Department of Corrections said there were currently no plans to create residential diversionary programs in WA's north.
Broken homes, threats of violence leading to crime
The ABC spoke with three 18-year-olds from Broome, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, all of whom have lengthy criminal records, starting with break-ins at age 10 and 11.
They described boredom, dysfunctional home lives and a lack of role models as the main reasons they got involved in crime.
"We were stealing, just petty theft, just searching for money to buy some feed, put some clothing on our back, put our thongs on our feet," said one of the teenagers.
"We were probably around 10 or 11 and we were doing petty crimes and stealing from shops and doing burgs, because the bigger homies saying we do it, otherwise we get bashed."
The teens said poor home environments, marred by drinking and violence, meant kids spend nights were hanging out on the streets and were more likely to get caught up in trouble.
"We all come from broken homes and stuff. We don't get stuff given to us … like, how I grew up, it was very bad. My mum's a drinker, and I didn't get raised up well," one of them said.
"That's why the young boys get into stealing young, because the only people they have to look up to are the older boys and they are stealing, so they are following that, so it's just a big circle going around."
'We need the law and culture back'
Anna Dann, who the boys calls Aunty and was around when they were growing up, said many parents in the Kimberley were struggling with their own issues, and found it hard to parent their children.
"Me, as a mother, I come from stolen generation, I come from broken family too, and I haven't found my pathway yet, and I'm 47 years of age," she said.
"Family give me pathway and respect, and I try to share it with my kids, and grow them up as a mum and a dad."
One of the teens said it was not until he was older that he realised the implications of his criminal behaviour.
"[Break-ins] were like a new hobby for us that we got used to, and we got really good at it," he said.
"But then you realise that you're doing something wrong and you kind of realise that you're not only affecting yourself, but you're stealing, going to jail, you're affecting the people you rob off, your family doesn't see you because you're in jail."
Two of the teenagers served time at Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Perth, with one of them describing it with mixed feelings.
"There was a lot of racism down there, because it's like going to someone else's country," he said.
"They don't really like the Kimberley boys down there, and we end up in fights a lot so we don't really like it there … but then again it feels like boarding school because we're used to it, we keep going up and down so it kinda feels like home."
All three of the agree bush-based programs would be more effective in helping Aboriginal boys, in particular, turn their live around.
"They should start up camps and take kids out bush who's doing crime and spend a weekend out bush, that'll stop most of the crime happening," one of them said.
"And law and culture would really help to support everyone," added another.
"Sport is really good to keep their mind occupied and healthy, but I say to get their confidence and be who they want to be, we need the law and culture back."
Topics: crime, vandalism, burglary, children, police, broome-6725, fitzroy-crossing-6765, kununurra-6743, wa
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