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"I had nothing to eat": new study provides insights into why young people burgle

A new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study investigating why young people commit burglary has found most stole from need rather than greed and they often learned the tricks of the trade from peers or family members.

Burglar breaking into a home through a window. New ECU research has provided insights into why young people commit burglary.

A new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study investigating why young people commit burglary has found most stole from need rather than greed and they often learned the tricks of the trade from peers or family members.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics almost 140,000 Australians were victims of 'unlawful entry with intent' (burglary) in 2021, up four per cent from the previous year. In Western Australia there were 2,043 victims, a rise of 10 per cent from 2020.

The study, co-authored by ECU criminology researchers Dr Natalie Gately and  Dr Suzanne Rock, aimed to understand the reasons young people burgle. Researchers interviewed 50 young Western Australians' (aged between 11 and 17) who reported committing at least one burglary offence. They asked them why they stole, what they stole, how they learned to burgle and what would put them off burgling a premise.

Key findings:

  • Almost a fifth of young people, in the Western Australian Children's Court for burglary offences, only stole food.
  • Stealing was more out of the young person’s perceived ‘need’ than greed.
  • Many were stealing to fund drug use.
  • Many had established drug habits (mostly cannabis).
  • Most were shown how to burgle by a peer or family member (parent/brother/cousin).

Dr Gately said burglary was the most common offence young people are charged with in the Children's Court of Western Australia.

"A substantial proportion of property crime is committed by young people, and the cost to victims can be both financial and psychological," she said.

"Some items hold sentimental value and simply cannot be replaced, and victims often feel violated and suffer psychological impacts of someone breaking into their safe space.

"But burglaries don’t happen by chance. The risk that homes will become targets depends on the opportunities and motives of offenders."

Motivations for burglary

Dr Rock said the young people interviewed rarely planned burglaries or 'staked' premises and usually committed burglaries on the spur of the moment, and generally to steal items they felt they needed like food or drugs, out of boredom or while drunk or high.

“Most fell into the ‘opportunistic’ category of burglar, rather than ‘searchers’ or ‘planners’, meaning the types of burglaries committed were chosen by the ease or opportunity posed to the young person, such as an open window, or an affluent area, or valuables in view," she said.

Participants said:

It was just out of the blue. 

We just walked into a house.

I just saw toys and stole the toys, no it wasn't planned just walked past and that's it.

Deterrents to burglary

Consistent with adult burglars, young burglars said dogs and home alarm systems were the most common deterrents for not burgling a property.

Dr Rock said that while most participants didn't provide much insight into why they chose not to burgle some properties, some of the older participants described the properties they refused to burgle and items they refused to steal.

"For example, homes with elderly people or children were avoided due to the perceived vulnerability of these residents," she said.

Influence of friends and family

Dr Gately said the lives of the children they interviewed were often chaotic. Most were not attending school regularly, if at all, and many had learned to burgle from peers and family members.

One participant said:

Been there and seen it, Dad used to take me along with him.

Dr Rock said most participants committed their burglaries in groups either with friends or family members, suggesting burglary was seen as an accepted way of obtaining goods.

Dr Rock and Dr Gately are calling for further research to better understand the reasons for 'food-only' theft as a matter of urgency. They also recommend therapeutic measures such as Youth Drug Courts to address the underlying drug behaviours that contribute to the maintenance of criminal behaviours.

"Focussed holistic interventions need to address the economic and social disadvantages that drive young people to burgle," they said.

The study, 'Temptations, techniques and typologies: Insights from a Western Australian sample of young people who burgle', authored by Suzanne Rock, Natalie Gately, James McCue and Nathalie St Martin and was published in the journal Youth Justice.


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