Residents of northern Western Australia have issued a desperate plea for help, saying it is only a matter of time before children are killed in stolen cars hooning around suburban streets.

Key points: Kimberley community-members fear a spike in stolen cars being driven dangerously around towns will result in fatalities

Kimberley community-members fear a spike in stolen cars being driven dangerously around towns will result in fatalities Community leaders are also concerned that youth crime could lead to vigilante action

Community leaders are also concerned that youth crime could lead to vigilante action Government agencies are developing the Kimberley Juvenile Justice strategy that could begin to roll out in 2020

Derby locals were woken this week by a stolen car being driven dangerously through the streets by 13 and 14-year-old boys.

"Things are getting scary — it can't go on much longer before there's a disaster," long-time Derby resident Peter McCumstie said.

"The car that was stolen this week, the kids were driving at high speed and even off the road onto the footpaths at other children, and that is just intolerable.

"A car itself rolling, smashing into a power pole, killing or maiming everyone in it or a pedestrian … I dread to think about it, but it's going to happen very soon if something doesn't change."

Several residents videoed the car spinning around local streets over a period of seven hours with three teenaged boys inside.

The ABC understands a 13 year old and a 14 year old have been charged over the theft.

Youth crime is nothing new in the Kimberley, but community leaders say things have escalated in the last month.

WA Police statistics show the number of vehicles stolen in the region jumped from 21 in August, to 54 in September.

Most burglaries still occur from intruders entering unlocked homes, but there has been an increase in more aggressive entries, with teenagers smashing locked glass doors to gain entry.

It comes more than two and a half years after the WA Government promised to overhaul the juvenile justice system in the Kimberley, to reduce the number of mainly Aboriginal boys reoffending and being flown 2,000 kilometres south to juvenile detention in Perth.

Young children involved

Kununurra Police allege children under 14 years old were connected to a run of crimes in the East Kimberley town in recent weeks — including burglaries, stealing of motor vehicles and a bag snatch.

"Some of the children involved are of tender age," Inspector Gary Lewis said.

"A person under 10 was spoken to by police."

Ten is the age of criminal responsibility in Western Australia, so younger children cannot be charged.

The East Kimberley town of Kununurra is also struggling with nightly youth crime. ( ABC Local )

Inspector Lewis said police, the Department of Communities and other agencies are constantly working to resolve the issues facing local children.

"We try and get in and use our Youth Policing Officers to try and engage these kids and to try and keep them away from doing this sort of activity," he said.

"It's a tragedy that a person of this age is out and about at night-time doing these sort of things."

Many of the children involved are wards of the state, meaning they've been removed by their families due to welfare concerns, and the courts have made the WA Government their legal carer.

As of the 23rd of October, 25 of the 96 youths at Banksia Hill Detention Centre were in state care.

In a statement, the Department of Communities has said it is "aware of the current issues with a small amount of young people offending in Kununurra".

"The Department is working with other key stakeholders, including families, agencies, and community members to keep children safe and actively engage them in positive activities."

'Don't ram them'

It is not just a high-speed crash locals are worried about; Derby West Kimberley Shire President Geoff Haerawa said normally-reasonable people are close to taking things into their own hands.

"Things are really escalating and the frustration's building in the community because the perception is that nothing is being done," he said.

"I've just had a prominent, well-respected community member come up to me and say; 'Last night, when that car was screaming around, I'd decided if it comes past again, I'm going to ram it — for the safety of the community.'

"So that's the kind of thing I'm most afraid of."

Derby-West Kimberley Shire President Geoff Haerewa fears lives will be lost because of juvenile crime. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

Police Commissioner Dawson visited Derby the day after the most recent incident, and said he understood the community's frustration.

"Look, it's a real balancing act in terms of how we resolve this thing [stolen cars] safely," he said.

"We don't want police to be involved in high-speed pursuits in areas that are built up within the town itself, and we've got very strict protocols around that."

Police are continuing to assess the best way to respond on a case-by-case basis, the Commissioner said.

"It is very concerning whenever a person is in a stolen car and driving at speed — we know there's the potential for very serious consequences," he said

"So that's why we continue to work on it, and we're certainly not in the business of letting them get away with it."

A burnt-out stolen car sits in the middle of a Broome park. ( ABC Kimberley: Vanessa Mills )

Long time coming

Most locals realise the issue is much larger and more complex than police alone can handle.

Peter McCumstie was a shire councillor for more than 20 years and knows many of the children involved.

"This didn't just start yesterday," he said.

"We are getting to the pointy end with a lot of issues around alcohol, drug abuse and domestic violence.

"The parents of these children often don't have the capability to deal with them themselves."

Every night dozens of children roam the streets of towns like Derby and Broome unsupervised. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

The WA Government promised in 2017 to overhaul how young Aboriginal offenders were managed in WA's north, to try to prevent reoffending and reduce the numbers of children being flown 2,200 kilometres south to juvenile detention.

Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan has confirmed that process is now underway, with the Department of Justice partnering with the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre to run a six-month consultation process and design a series of prevention programs and alternative sentencing options.

Process will not be rushed, says Government

Justice Department Director General Adam Tomison said plans will be finalised and presented to the Minister early next year.

"It's quite exciting … we are trying to focus on doing things differently in quite a significant way, and that will take a bit of time to do," he said.

"So whilst I understand some frustrations may eventuate in communities, especially when kids are acting out, I do think we're taking the right approach with this.

"Even myself, I'd like to see it go faster as well, but the temptation to rush I think would be a bad one."

Among the considerations are residential facilities for young offenders in the East and West Kimberley.

"The vision there would be something that contains education elements, therapeutic counselling elements, productive activities, training pathway into jobs," Dr Tomison said.

"So that's not going to happen in a week, but I'm keen to see the feedback and see what we come up with."

The department is currently funding a number of programs to try to keep kids out of trouble in the short-term, including bush camps run out of Kununurra, and after-school programs.

Local dad wants local solutions

Local man Steven Nulgitt said he is not waiting for the government to act — he is doing his best to keep kids out of trouble by running evening movie nights to keep them occupied.

"To be honest, locals are scared," he said.

"Kids vandalising, stealing cars … the impact has grown and Derby don't feel the same anymore, it doesn't feel like home and that's sad."

Derby father Steven Nulgitt says he is terrified local children will be hurt or killed hooning in stolen cars. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

Mr Nulgitt, who is a father of 11, said while extra government funding would help, the solutions lie within the local community.

"I think it's the community people need to step up — less talk, more action," he said.

"Because as soon as we make a move, all as one, with funding or no funding, then we're making a change in our own community."

He has been working with the Derby Chamber of Commerce to get a bus service up and running, to collect kids for activities and drop them home.

Teen crims say kids 'want to live a good life'

The ABC sat down with several teenagers who have been involved in burglaries and break-ins to see what they think would reduce crime.

An 18-year-old, who the ABC is not identifying for legal reasons, said he didn't particularly want to get involved in break-ins, but peer pressure kicked in.

"I grew up all over the place, visiting family in Derby, up in the Peninsula, Fitzroy Valley," he said.

"Sometimes we'd just be walking on the streets, 'cause [there was] nothing to do.

"I was doing burgs, break and enter, stealing, doing bad stuff. Sometimes good stuff, like basketball and football and fishing, some bad stuff.

"I don't know what got us into stealing, just bad habits, like we were hanging around with older boys and they'd get us to go along with them and do stuff … so it's just temptation."

He said that being flown down south to serve time at Banksia Hill Detention Centre was scary.

"When I went into the detention centre in 2014, I ended up cutting myself because I was stressing out," he said.

"I been in and out of there, but I'm settled down now, because I want to be a role model for my cousins and nephews."

Another boy, aged 17, said the staff at Banksia hill were trying to help them and the boys were listening.

"When I first for there I was scared, but then I met some Kimberley boys and that was alright," he said.

"But it was a bit weird and frightening, because you're a long way from home, to family to visit or come around."

More than 2,000 kilometres north of Perth, Derby is the latest Kimberley community hit with a spike in youth crime. ( Supplied: Nicolas Sunblom )

The boys have since been involved with the Yirriman Youth Project, which runs cultural and outdoor programs for boys in trouble with the law, but which constantly struggles to secure funding.

The 18-year-old said the Yirriman camp-outs are helping him stay out of trouble.

"It's just good being out hunting, fishing, getting out of town where there's all temptation," he said