Broome takeaway shop owner Tony Moore is at his wits end after young people allegedly tried to break into his business of 15 years twice in the past month.
"It was a beautiful town when I came here, everyone got on well with each other, but over the last two years, the crime rate has just grown and grown, it seems to be out of control," he said.
"The last one [break in] was pretty serious, they actually damaged a whole door…we had to close for a whole day so we lost a day's takings…the overall cost will be major."
He said there was an urgent need to find an answer.
"It seems the youth are running the streets," he said.
"Everyone in town is scared."
Mr Moore's business is one of a growing number of businesses in the Kimberley caught up in a spate of property damage and crime being blamed on young people.
The WA Government announced a $40 million package on Tuesday aimed at addressing escalating youth crime in the region.
The announcement included increased funds to expand the Target 120 program – which supports young people who are at risk of becoming lost to the criminal justice system – to nine more locations across the state.
The package also includes $15 million for a new dedicated residential facility to house at-risk youth on-country, a measure that community leaders have lobbied for over many years.
Jail not the only option
It's a move that's been welcomed by Social Reinvestment WA — an Aboriginal-led coalition of 25 not-for-profit organisations.
Coordinator Sophie Stewart said the package was a start in addressing underlying root causes of the offending and more effective interventions.
"We do need an alternative to incarceration for young people in the Kimberley and for that matter also in the Pilbara," she said.
Ms Stewart said keeping children close to country, community and culture would be a key part of the solution.
She said close consultation at the grassroots level would be key to the success of the new measures.
She said there needed to be an opportunity for a job, further schooling and training as well as a therapeutic and rehabilitative space for young people living with trauma.
"For these initiatives to be successful the state government has to work in partnership with local communities and lived experience people in the design and the delivery," she said.
'A great approach'
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan has flagged Myroodah Station as a possible site for the new residential facility.
Pandanus Park resident Patricia Riley said basing the new facility in a remote area was "a great approach".
Ms Riley said getting children out of major towns such as Broome and Kununurra would ease some of the challenges being faced on the ground.
"They've got no choice but to be in town because of their parents, so it's a good idea to take these children out back onto country.
She said communities needed programs and employment delivered properly to address what people needed.
More on-country options needed
Wyndham-East Kimberley shire president David Menzel said the government should consider developing more than one on-country residential facility in the region.
"I'm not sure whether that's singular or plural at the moment but it needs to be plural," he said.
"Give them somewhere where there's a bit of a breather so they can get a bit of time out, have some support systems around them to work through some of the issues."
While the package has been welcomed by some in the community as a step in the right direction, others were concerned it wouldn't be enough to address the region's complex and deep-rooted juvenile crime problem.
Collaboration key to success
Nirrumbook Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Joe Grande aid the government was 'following chicken feed' instead of working with the community to tackle core issues.
His Aboriginal-run capacity building organisation mainly derives its membership from the Dampier Peninsula region, north of Broome.
"The reality is that until we all collaborate, real collaboration, true collaboration with government, then we're all going to be working in isolation from one another."
Broome Shire Deputy President Desiree Male said it remained to be seen if the programs would be enough.
"Having this not work is not an option," she said.
