Harrowing tales of a community confronted by crime have been shared with a committee inquiring into safety in rural and regional communities.
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A retained fire fighter wrote about his experience of being called to a car fire one night in Gunnedah. The car turned out to be his own.
"I have witnessed elderly people being broken into their cars stolen and personal belongings," wrote another.
While another contributor, whose property borders a reserve and vacant land, wrote of how they regularly call police on cars being driven "up and down and around the paddock at speed during [the] middle of the night".
"But ultimately what happens is the cars are abandoned and set on fire by these people," they said.
A 78 year old widow told of how she had woken one night to find three intruders in her bedroom.
"I tried to push past and tried to shut the door on them, they slammed it back on me, injuring my arm. I got away and they caught me, pushing me face down on the loungeroom floor, making my nose bleed. Got away again out the back door and screamed for my neighbour, he was there within seconds, and the intruders took off."
The intruders stole the woman's phone, her house keys, and her late husband's wallet and watch.
"My butchers knife was found under the back table," she wrote.
In total the inquiry has received 188 submissions from individuals, community groups, politicians and those advocating for something to be done.
In his submission, MP Kevin Anderson called for more airborne support by way of a PolAir command, based in Tamworth.
Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell said he believes "a lack of a police presence within our communities" to be "at the heart of the issue".
"Statistics clearly show that there has been an increase in crime in regional and rural areas - not only in the Upper Hunter but right across New South Wales," he said in his submission to the inquiry.
"It is clear that NSW Police cannot just change the situation by simply locking people up. The solution is more police on the ground, who become the critical part of a whole of government response."
A number of councils have also sought to shine a light on the issue of youth crime in particular, and pointed to recent figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).
"A recent report prepared by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) indicated the New England North West Region had a property crime rate 1.9 times above the state average and a violent crime rate 1.8 times the state average for 2023. Such outcomes have a clear impact on the quality of life of those living in the region," the submission from Inverell Shire Council read.
"A lack of police at the lnverell station also impacts on other smaller stations in the Shire. Often Yetman, Ashford, Delungra and Tingha are left without a police presence as officers assigned to those stations are seconded to lnverell for duties.
"Much of the communication from the NSW Police is from their centralised media unit with little if any comment coming from local officers."
Meanwhile, an organisation committed to working with disengaged young people said it's important they should be part of the solution.
"We are also well placed to ensure that young people's voices are part of the conversation. Their safety and sense of belonging within the community is absolutely central to any meaningful solution to youth crime in regional and rural NSW," the BackTrack submission read.
A common thread in the submissions is the need to better engage young people and "help prevent young people from committing crimes".
Easy access to drugs and a lack of anything else for young people to do were also raised as concerns in our local communities.
Another submission talked about a group of Gunnedah 'volunteers' who took to patrolling the streets themselves, angry at rising crime in their community.
Now that submissions have been received, the next step is for public hearings to take place.
No dates or venues have yet been announced. Both TRC mayor Russell Webb and Gunnedah Shire mayor Jamie Chaffey have said they want the committee to visit the region and hear from the community.
The inquiry is due to report back to parliament in February 2025.
Terms of reference of the inquiry
This inquiry was self-referred on March 20, 2024.
The Committee on Law and Safety will inquire into and report on:
(a) the drivers of youth crime across regional and rural NSW, particularly since the COVID pandemic;
(b) how a whole of government approach can reduce the drivers and root causes of youth crime in regional and rural NSW;
(c) the wraparound and diversionary services available for youth and families in the regions and rural areas and how they can be better matched to individuals, measured, improved and integrated into a coordinated approach to divert youth from crime, having regard to the NSW Government's commitment to working in partnership with Aboriginal people;
(d) staffing levels and workforce issues, including police staffing, in regional and rural areas and how services can be improved to reduce youth crime in these areas;
(e) recidivism rates in regional and rural areas, and related impacts on the community, services and law enforcement;
(f) the range of functions being performed by NSW police officers, including mental health assistance and youth welfare, on behalf of other agencies in regional and rural areas, and the supports required to assist police; and
(g) any other related matter.
