1. The changing nature of youth offending and our strategic approach
Stephen Leane APM
Assistant Commissioner, North West Metro Region
Victoria Police
Précis from program:
This presentation will examine shifts in the nature of offending by young Victorians. Against an ongoing trend of fewer under 18s committing crime, a smaller cohort is rapidly accelerating into serious and violent offending. This includes a growing trend toward ‘networked offending’, with young people moving in and out of loosely organised groups for the purposes of offending. The presentation will also outline how Victoria Police is responding to these trends as well as the challenges and opportunities for dealing with youth offending into the future.
Australian Vehicle Crime Conference
04 April 2017

2. The changing profile of youth offending
Victorian children are underrepresented as offenders and the number who offending continues to reduce
However a small group is rapidly escalating into serious crime at young ages
Increase in loosely associated individuals coming together for the purpose of offending, in contrast to organised ‘gangs’ with stable membership
Young people over-represented as offenders for robbery, burglary, theft, sexual and transport offences
Vehicle and other property crimes increasingly facilitated by violence
Public order issues at city events - Moomba 2016 riots, New Year’s Eve and White Night
Youth Justice facility riots
Heightened level or risk taking - stylised violence – ‘Grand Theft Auto generation’

3. Emerging features Social media as an enabler
Emergence of ‘performative’ motivation for offending
Heightened level of risk taking / thrill seeking behaviour
Use of violence even when victims are cooperating
Weakened deterrence effect of custody and other penalties
Predatory recruitment of young people by organised crime groups
Social media enabling networking with others and sharing information about tactics
Performative – photos and videos of offending shared on social media

4. Characteristics of young people in Youth Justice facilities
66 per cent had a history of both alcohol and drug misuse
64 per cent had been subject to a current or previous child protection order
63 per cent were victims of abuse, trauma or neglect
62 per cent had previously been suspended or expelled from school
30 per cent presented with mental health issues
This highlights some of the factors associated with offending,
Those which cannot be changed:
Past abuse, trauma and neglect
Family factors
Other provide opportunity for intervention:
Alcohol and drug use
Mental health
School exclusion
The results of a snapshot survey of 167 males and nine females detained on sentence and remand on 7 October 2015 carried out by the Department of Health & Human Services, Youth Parole Board and Youth Residential Board Annual Report

5. Police interventions across the continuum
Prevention
Community engagement
Reporting abuse to Child Protection
Referral to services
Investigating/prosecuting offenders who perpetrate against children
Early intervention
Cautioning & diversion
Referral to programs and services
Enforcement
Charge, summons, bail
Remand
Prosecution

6. Our approach Operational Strategic holding young people to account
working with families
Strategic
consulting young people
bringing together sectors and government
influencing reform
capability building in communities
Operational
Visible, publicised operations – Tense, Ares, then joined up with Cosmas
Needed more than police response
Take the role of influencers – following on from FV reform
Whole of community engagement – government, NGOs, advocacy groups
Not showing in ‘big data’ statistics – initial scepticism from some stakeholders about alarmism

7. What young people told us
What a group of ‘at risk’ young people thought was driving trends in young people’s involvement in crime
Stress
Financial hardship
School exclusion
Under employment
Discrimination
Mental illness
Difficulty negotiating services like Centrelink
‘locked out’ phenomenon
Youth Voices Forum
30 at risk young people (18 June)
Hosted by Salvos, no police
Specialist youth facilitators
Reported stress, financial hardship, discrimination, difficulty negotiating services, under employment

8. Chief Commissioner’s Youth Summit
200 representatives of government, NGOs, community groups, academics, young people, media
Herald-Sun campaign in lead-up
Premier committed to consideration of recommendations by Cabinet
Discussion themes spanned health, human services, education and justice domains
YOUTH SUMMIT
200 government, NGOs, academics, young people including young people who had participated in our Forum
Herald-Sun campaign in lead up – concern from stakeholders but maximised engagement and momentum
Premier – committed to Cabinet consideration of findings
Speakers – CCP, academic, youth worker
Facilitated discussion including young people

9. Subsequent developments
Government’s Community Safety Statement commitments
Transfer of Youth Justice to Corrections
Review of Youth Justice services (Ogloff-Armytage)
Community Safety Statement
42 ‘youth specialist’ police
Extend Youth Justice Bail Supervision scheme across the state
Intensive Monitoring and Control Bail Supervision Scheme
Expand the Central After Hours Assessment and Bail Placement Service to 24/7 operation
Youth Control Order
Youth Parole Board notification to Victoria Police of serious, violent offender releases
Offence of ‘procuring young people to commit offences’
Increase the maximum period of detention to four years
Children’s Court to give particular consideration to community safety when sentencing young people who have committed serious violent crimes and have previous convictions for similar offences Clarification of Children’s Court matters to be heard in higher courts
Same magistrate oversees all proceedings relating to a young offender
Youth Crime Prevention grants in of $10m
‘Kopkoda’ Program
Sector policy reform
Transfer of Youth Justice from DHHS to DJR
Youth Justice Review (Armytage-Ogloff) - overarching policy framework for the development of a contemporary youth justice program and accompanying service delivery model
Roadmap to Reform (April 2016) – out of home care, child and family services
Education State (September 2015) - Navigator program addressing disengagement, Lookout Centres for children in OOHC, examining expulsion practices
Service delivery initiatives
Children’s Court Diversion Pilot (post-charge, pre plea)
Children and Youth Area Partnerships expansion
Governance
Children’s Services Coordination Board
Victorian Secretaries’ Boards
DHHS-VicPol Relationship Governance Committee
Reviews
Inquiry into the Youth Justice System in Victoria (Legal and Social Issues Parliamentary Committee)
Report on youth justice facilities at the Grevillea unit of Barwon Prison, Malmsbury and Parkville

10. What next?
‘Locking in’ disadvantaged young people to education, training and employment
Ensuring support services can address vulnerabilities e.g. mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, housing.
Building community capability