Moree's youth crime problem has resulted in violent attacks, locals believe compassion is the key to change

The early-morning quiet of south Moree is punctured by competing sounds: the incessant whine of a dirt bike, as its helmet-less rider completes never-ending circuits of the otherwise empty streets; and the cheers and laughter spilling from the open door of a nearby gym. "We have to get up at 6 o'clock every morning," says 13-year-old Bailey, who's been training with his friends at Moree's PCYC gym for two years. "Let me just say that many of these children are coming from lives which aren't that positive," says Moree's Mayor Mark Johnson of those committing crime. "We understand that jail is not the answer," says Cr Johnson, "but now, where you have repeat offenders out on bail for repeat offences in the same space, what's happening isn't working. "If you're found guilty of reoffending whilst on bail, if you're found guilty of the new crime of posting and boasting, the only alternative is jail," he says.