Regional Aussies liken youth crime spree to living in 'warzone'

Residents in Dubbo say they feel like they're living in a warzone, with the iconic country town in central west New South Wales in the grips of a youth crime spree.

Children as young as 10 have been arrested after constant police pursuits, home invasions and robberies over the past six months.

Gay Wedrat, a grandmother who lives in Dubbo, has had to install security cameras on every corner of her house after being broken into and threatened by youths.

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"I've ended up renting the room out now because it's too dangerous to live on your own," Wedrat told A Current Affair.

"Like how can they take that right away from me. I was very happy living on my own."

If it's not CCTV capturing these pint-sized criminals exploits, it's themselves, posting their crimes on social media to taunt police and their victims.

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"Some youths you will see on the videos, that they'll post themselves on social media, have a complete disregard for community and their own safety, let alone others," NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree said.

"I understand the community's concern, certainly from a police perspective. I don't want youths to hurt themselves and I don't want them to hurt the community, so the challenge for us is to try to divert it and prevent it from occurring in the first place."

A number of community services are involved in trying to bring this issue under control.

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Jackson Bayliss is a 22-year-old youth worker for the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre.

He spends his Friday nights driving a speciality bus around to take kids home who are found wandering the street.

"One weekend they get bored and they meet up with their mates and make a silly decision and you're back to square one," Bayliss said.

"But it's just about not giving up, because if I don't do it, who else will?"

Just this month police under Operation Rhino charged seven youths with traffic, stealing, break and enter and larceny-related offences in one weekend.