Premier Chris Minns has announced a significant boost for a successful community-led initiative tackling youth crime in Armidale with new funding to extend BackTrack’s Night Shift program.
The NSW Government is providing BackTrack Youth Works with $120,000 from the Premier’s Discretionary Fund. The one-off grant will cover staffing and operational costs to continue delivering the Night Shift program, which offers vital support to at-risk young people and improves community safety.
“The team at BackTrack work tirelessly with regional communities and are focused on implementing practical responses to supporting local young people in need,” Mr Minns said.
BackTrack is known for its wraparound approach to early intervention, helping disengaged young people rebuild their lives by improving literacy, numeracy, life skills, and employability, and supporting them to plan for their futures.
The Night Shift program specifically targets night-time youth crime in Armidale, engaging and supporting young people between 8pm and 7am. By offering practical help and positive alternatives, it diverts them from the streets, reduces crime, and improves safety.
“Programs like Night Shift show the difference early intervention and local leadership can make in reducing youth crime and giving young people a real chance at a better future,” Mr Minns said.
Developed in collaboration with young leaders, Armidale Neighbourhood Watch, local police, and NSW Police, the program has already shown impressive results. Its 12-week pilot saw a significant reduction in stolen vehicles, break-ins, and related offences.
Acting Minister for Police Ryan Park said the program demonstrated the strength of grassroots initiatives in addressing youth crime.
“Programs like BackTrack’s Night Shift show how powerful community-driven solutions can be in guiding young people in our regions. We’re proud to stand behind initiatives that make a real and lasting difference on the ground,” Mr Park said.
The new funding will allow BackTrack to extend its reach, addressing the immediate needs of at-risk youth by providing meals, clothing, transport, and pathways away from crime.
“Every day, police are working to build stronger relationships with communities, but we recognise that trust doesn’t always begin with a uniform. Sometimes it starts with local people who understand, connect, and care in ways police cannot,” Mr Park said.
“That’s why we back this work wholeheartedly – work that isn’t just responding after something has gone wrong but also preventing it before it happens.”
This support is part of a broader effort by the NSW Government to tackle regional youth crime. Reforms include changes to the Bail Act, introducing a new bail test for young offenders charged with serious break and enter or motor vehicle offences while on bail for similar crimes, and creating a new “post and boast” offence to criminalise the promotion of serious crimes online. A review of the doli incapax principle for children under 14 is also underway.
Recent figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show signs of progress. In the two years to July 2025, property-related offences in regional NSW dropped by 8.9 per cent, with crimes such as break and enters, robbery, stealing from cars, and malicious damage all decreasing by at least 7 per cent.
Acting Minister for Youth Justice Anoulack Chanthivong said initiatives like BackTrack were essential in creating safer communities.
“Young people in NSW deserve opportunities to contribute to their community, and through initiatives like BackTrack we are working to reduce youth crime and make regional areas safer,” he said.
“Our government will continue to support proven programs and community-led initiatives, like Night Shift, which help to divert young people onto a more positive pathway.”
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