Col Blanch says kid criminals need parents, not police, as Kununurra ‘flare-up’ sparks urgent operation

WA’s top cop has vowed police are getting on top of what he called a “flare-up” of youth crime in Kununurra, after children as young as 10 allegedly turned the tables - chasing police. At a careers expo at the WA Police Academy in Joondalup, Col Blanch rejected claims a crime surge was spiralling across the Kimberley, while Police Minister Reece Whitby called for more parental responsibility. “Kununurra has had the flare-up of consecutive nights of stolen cars, that’s the surge we’re addressing, but I think if you’ll find crime is significantly down across the region,” the Police Commissioner said on Sunday. “We’re not soft on crime, we’re tough on crime. I can tell you, they are out there. They are. They have arrested every single person that is committing those offences.” Additional officers have been deployed to the Kimberley town, after it was revealed a motor vehicle has been stolen every day this month on average — and every single one of the alleged offenders was a juvenile. Mr Blanch described it as “not a massive problem but a serious one” and said a small number of young, repeat, offenders are behind it. Juveniles charged over a spate of car thefts last week included a 10-year-old boy, who was arrested twice in two nights. “I don’t think that’s a police conversation. Our job is to arrest people committing crime, and we’ve done exactly that twice,” Mr Blanch said. “I take policing extremely seriously, but talking to parents about their home situation is not a role for police. “We engage with all families, and we live in town, but our police are out in the street, arresting people committing crimes, and we’re going to remain there.” Mr Whitby said police were being forced to step in, when parents should be responsible. “The whole community has a role here,” he said. “The courts need to make sure that the community is protected. And I think parents, parents, mums and dads need to be responsible. Where are your kids?” On social media, locals have expressed frustration and exchanged tips to protect property from frequent vandalism and break-ins. Mr Whitby said their frustration is valid, but insisted crime rates have actually fallen. “When you are in the thick of a situation like this, where we’ve had a number of nights in a row where there’s been an issue, yes, you feel anger, you feel frustration, feel anxiety,” he said. “People need to know that there is a huge investment of multi millions of dollars by the State Government. The police are very effective at doing their job. “That doesn’t take away the sting if you have had your car stolen and wrecked by one of these young offenders. “This is complex. These are young children. They need services. They need support. They need parental responsibility, that would be good to have too.”