by Emma Ballingall
An alarming youth crime epidemic and the psychological distress to victims has been condemned by local police.
Baw Baw police said the youth responsible for serious offences were not being held to account and walking away with nothing more than a piece of paper.
And, making resolving crime more difficult, frontline police and detectives said they felt tied to desks instead of being out on the beat.
Victoria Police staff at Warragul Police Station, usually unable to speak directly to media, provided a snapshot of police life on Friday afternoon during industrial stop work action.
A member for 20 years, leading senior constable Glenn Redenbach said repeat, high-impact youth criminals were causing "massive harm to the community."
"We're in the middle of a youth crime epidemic. It's never been as bad."
He said a youth who broke into a house, causing psychological distress to the victim, normally only received a caution. "They are being given a piece of paper warning not to continue."
If they send a youth to face court, he said "they get no punishment either."

“The victims of all these crimes are not being heard,” he says.
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