Young crims in police spotlight

Photo / File

Young criminals will come under the police spotlight as officers nationwide target youth burglars.

Police today announced details about Operation Focus, a month-long effort to stem the growing number of houses getting broken into.

Acting national operations deputy commissioner Andy Coster said both police and the public were concerned about that increase and the effects burglary had on victims.

So, police say they are now prioritising prevention and investigation burglaries, focusing on house break-ins and young offenders.

"We know that most burglary is committed by young people 60 per cent of them under 24 years and 20 per cent of them are under 16. Some of these young people start committing theft and burglary as young as 8 years old," Mr Coster said.

"Young people also commit the majority of vehicle crime, which is a precursor to committing future more serious offending...

"Police have a number of ongoing prevention programmes to address youth offending and we will be looking around the country to see which of these is the most effective and where else we can implement them."

This sting comes as figures show that in the year to April, 26 per cent of "victimisations" were through burglary.

"We are determined to better address this crime," Mr Coster said.

Police are also encouraging people to take steps to prevent burglary, asking us to be aware of what we leave in our cars, ensure our homes are secure and report suspicious activity to police.