ALSWA chief executive Wayne Nannup slams ‘short-sighted’ arrest of teens a ‘disgrace’

The head of WA’s Aboriginal Legal Service has slammed the arrest of three young First Nations teenagers attending a program intended to help keep them out of the criminal justice system as “a disgrace”. ALSWA chief executive Wayne Nannup said the arrest of the teens during a session in Balga on Thursday morning had left the children who witnessed it “extremely distressed”. He feared weeks of building up trust had been undone by the “short-sighted” approach of WA Police. “Disappointing is probably a very soft word I could use,” he said. The Federal Government-funded “old ways new ways” pilot program, which has only been running for six weeks, works with high-risk young people going through the Perth Children’s Court. Jointly run by the ALSWA, the Wadjuk Northside Aboriginal Corporation, HOPE Community Services and the Stephen Michael Foundation, it aims to divert at-risk kids away from the justice system by offering them case management services, community support and opportunities to connect with their culture. “(On Thursday) we got a phone call from one of our partners in the program quite distressed,” Mr Nannup said. “Police rocked up, probably 10-12 police. . . and effectively they were looking for three boys. “We’ve been able to gain trust in these boys, we’ve been able to get them engaged and start to commit them to a life or a pathway away from where they were. This stuff doesn’t happen overnight — it takes time — and the first step is to get them engaged, which we did with these boys. “They arrested three young people, they handcuffed them in front of all the other kids in the program. “There’s an expectation that when we bring young people in they will feel safe and that was completely blown away.” Mr Nannup did not know why the boys had been arrested. A WA Police spokesman confirmed on Thursday evening that three 16-year-old boys were in police custody and assisting with inquiries. “Serious charges are expected to be laid later today or early tomorrow,” he said. Mr Nannup said it was a “short-sighted” move by police. “It’s completely short-sighted,” he said. “What we’re trying to say here is: help us in our efforts so we can help you. “We’re not blinded to the issues that kids face, we know them very well. But what we’re saying is: let’s get a supportive program to address them. “What you end up with is the short-sighted ‘oh, we’ll be tough on crime’ and we’ve seen that through our challenges in Banksia Hill.”