WA Police said they helped 437 at-risk youths in three months

WA Police said they helped 437 at-risk youths in three months

Gerry Georgatos

The Office of the Police Commissioner of Western Australia said that its focus on vulnerable youth has been working, and that more than 400 at-risk youths have been taken off the streets after dark.

A police spokesman said they had implemented the operation to protect the best interests of vulnerable youth and the community, with Operation Safe Place.

Operation Safe Place is a collaborative program between police and the departments of Child Protection and Corrective Services however includes Mission Australia and the Noongar Patrol. It was launched in December.

The spokesman said that during the three months since, which was piloted as a trial, 86 children were admitted to the new Safe Place facility in Cannington (south east of the Perth CBD) and another 351 children were placed in the care of an agreed responsible adult. The spokesperson said that of the 86, 62 were Aboriginal, 22 Caucasian and 2 from other ethnic groups.

WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said that everyone should be glad to hear that 437 at-risk children were no longer walking the streets languishing after dark. "This is not just about crime reduction, it is about protecting the welfare of these children and providing some intervention to break the offending cycle and stop them from becoming victims themselves," said the Commissioner.

It is understood that 65% of the children are between 13 and 15 years of age with the youngest a 9 year old girl. The police spokesman said that of these children 37% had a some form of criminal history and 22% were monitored in terms of being high-risk of self harm or of harm to others. A significant number of the 437 children are Indigenous.

Commissioner O'Callaghan said, "More than half of all the children picked up during Operation Safe Place were picked up near Burswood train station or along the Armadale rail line. Not surprisingly, there has been a decrease in crime around the Burswood precinct."

"I suggested Safe Place as a summer crime strategy but the terrible situation in which many of these children find themselves can hardly be described as seasonal," he said.

Mission Australia state director Melissa Perry said the program was worthwhile because it allowed for support services to be brought to these youth that otherwise they may not have had direct access to. "Helping these young people transform their lives is high on our agenda and this operation is evidence that meaningful partnerships can deliver positive outcomes for children, families and the community,” she said.

The operation concluded on February 29 however the Safe Place Facility on Burton Street in Cannington will continue to receive at-risk youths. There are increasing programs for at-risk and other vulnerable youth in Perth, and with Griffin Longley's Saturday programs, featured recently in The National Indigenous Times, where youth can get involved in empowerment and basketball competition programs - such successful programs are well located in Midland and Armadale precincts of Perth.

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