Inverell community members are being warned against vigilante behaviour at a public forum which has been organised to help address youth crime in the town.
A group of six concerned residents has organised the public meeting to help curb the rising frustration towards the issue.
Forum facilitator and youth worker, Rhonda Mason says the situation has reached a crucial point with reports of daily incidents.
“Hearing the frustration, it is obvious it is becoming a pressure cooker situation and we need to ease the pressure,” she says.
The forum is the first meeting of its kind in the town and will aim to bring the community together to start discussing the issue and developing some tangible actions. No formal invites have been issued, but it is hoped members of the local legal community will attend including police officers, lawyers and magistrates.
“We are not going to solve this in one meeting, but hopefully we can start to relieve the pressure.”
“We are encouraging people to be respectful; it won’t be a free for all or vigilante,” Mason says.
NSW Police figures show in 2022, 197 offences were committed by juveniles between the ages of 10-17; nearly one every two days.
The forum will be held at ICYOUth Centre, 18 Vivian Street Inverell on Monday May 15, from 5:30-7pm and will be streamed online for those who can’t attend.
Additional forums are expected to be held.
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