Young offenders stealing cars or holding the elderly at knifepoint are being put on notice with dedicated police officers posted in hotspots to tackle a surge in regional crime.
Launching the police operation in Dubbo, which has experienced an uptick in juvenile crime, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said up to 60 officers would be dispatched for dedicated units in the north and west of the state.
Their mission is to address an escalation of violence in offenders between 11 and 16 years of age.
"It's about reducing fear in the community, nobody deserves to be frightened in their own home and in regional NSW that has been the case, it has to stop," Ms Webb said on Wednesday.
Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos said high-visibility police operations would try to stop crime from happening in the first place, but he also had a tough message for anyone caught offending.
"This is about sending a clear message to these young criminals that we are going to find you and lock you up," he said.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley told parliament the operation would focus on recidivists and ringleaders, as well as diverting young offenders from criminal behaviour.
It is being rolled out in areas such as Moree, Tamworth, Tweed Heads, Dubbo, Orange, Kempsey, Taree and Newcastle.
Over 25 children under the age of 16 had been arrested in the past year since "post and boast" laws penalising offenders for airing their crimes on social media were implemented, Ms Catley said.
But NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders said crime sprees would not abate unless tougher legislation was on the books.
"Our local police always feel it's a bit of a revolving door," he told AAP.
"They are arresting young people and a couple of days later those young people are out again committing the same or very similar serious offences."
He criticised changes to bail laws that were before parliament for a three-year extension, saying they needed to go further.
The state Labor government introduced the controversial changes in 2024, making it harder for children aged 14 and older to be released on serious charges while out on bail for similar offences.
Data has since revealed a significant rise in the bail refusal rate for young people in cases covered by the laws.
Legal bodies and advocacy groups such as the NSW Bar Association and the Aboriginal Legal Service opposed the government's changes, fearing they would jail more vulnerable children and do little to reduce crime in the long-term.
Opposition police spokesman Paul Toole said the changing nature of crimes necessitated a hard-line stance.
"Youth crime has always been there but communities are saying it is the worst it has ever been over the past two years," he said.
