CHILDREN aged between 10 and 16 years have committed almost 6,000 crimes in Toowoomba over the past five years.

Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki MP obtained youth crime figures from the Police Minister which highlight the top three suburbs for youth crime as Toowoomba City, Newtown and Harristown.

The number one hotspot Toowoomba City recorded 1,284 crimes committed by youths over the past five years up to June 30.

Newtown came in second with 785 crimes committed by juvenile offenders while Harristown had the third highest number of crimes committed by youths at 678.

These figures are only for crimes which have been solved and actioned by police through arrests, cautions, community conference, notice to appear, summons and warrants.

Mr Janetzki said that the state Labor government needed to provide more police resources to target certain offending and strengthen laws, including re-introducing breach of bail as an offence.

“Car thieves wreaked havoc across the city during the Christmas school holiday period last year with 109 cars stolen between December and January,” Mr Janetzki said.

“These thieves are brazen – sneaking into homes through unlocked doors while families are home, cutting flyscreens and climbing through windows left open due to summer heat, even crawling through pet doors,” he said.

“It is a sad fact of life today that the community must take as many preventative measures as possible to make it harder for criminals”.

Harristown Neighbourhood Watch Area Coordinator Brian Jentz said their most recent crime report showed “sneak breaks” were regularly being committed in their area.

“Police tell us that offenders are regularly wandering around the streets, checking the doors of homes and cars until they find an unlocked one,” Mr Jentz said.

“We are reminding residents to be vigilant, lock homes, lock cars, hide keys and make observations of people looking into houses,” he said.

Mr Jentz recently delivered their December NHW newsletter which included details of a robbery with violence committed by two children in which they used a screwdriver to threaten other children and stole their scooters.

Mr Janetzki urged residents to keep an eye out for their neighbours these school holidays.

“Neighbours looking out for neighbours will always be one of the best ways to deter criminals,” Mr Janetzki said.