NSW Police and Juvenile Justice will continue to work proactively to reduce youth crime with the Youth of Track program being extended until 2019, NSW Police say.
The State Government has provided funding to extend the program over the next three years. The money will fund three new Local Area Commands, Central West, Coffs/Clarence and New England, and also continue to fund Youth on Track in Blacktown, the Hunter Valley and Mid North Coast commands.
NSW Police and schools refer young people considered to be at risk of committing crimes to Youth on Track and provide them with services that address their needs.
The program complements the existing justice system by supporting high risk young people before they become entrenched in crime. About 90 per cent of young people who have completed the program so far have either stabilised or reduced their contact with the juvenile justice system.
NSW Police Corporate Sponsor for Youth Issues, Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy said Youth on Track provides police with an important avenue to help young people that are heading down the wrong path.
"Youth on Track has been extremely well received since its inception in 2013 and the six sites will cover 13 police Local Area Commands, with 310 young offenders expected to participate each year.
"Our officers work at the coalface of crime, and can often predict when young people are at risk of becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system," he said.
"Youth on Track allows us to refer these young people to case management, which addresses the risks associated with their offending and can also engage the young person’s family to ensure an effective support network.
"My hope is that we’ll continue to see a drop in the number of young people coming under the notice of police in the Youth on Track Local Area Commands," Assistant Commissioner Loy said.
