Criminals who recruit children or ignite 'kill cars' to break the law could face more time in jail, following a spate of shootings and firebombings in the state of New South Wales.
In a bid to quash organised crime, the NSW government will introduce legislation on Tuesday to create new offences and make it harder for those with gang links to get bail.
Anyone who sets a car alight after using it to traffic drugs, supply firearms or commit other serious crimes could face up to 12 years in prison, two years more than the punishment for destroying or damaging property by fire.
The maximum penalty for recruiting a child for criminal activity will increase from 10 to 12 years and up to 15 years if the child is aged under 16 or is hired to steal cars.
Those who shoot a pistol or prohibited firearm in public will face up to 14 years in jail and criminals who fire at buildings or other cars could find themselves behind bars for 18 years.
"These comprehensive reforms will help keep the community safe, and hold organised criminals to account for the destruction and harm they inflict on our streets," NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley said.
The man allegedly shot at three men, with the video also showing the car later engulfed in flames in a nearby suburb. (Source: NSW Police) (Source: Supplied)
In recent months, police have made several arrests over alleged 'kill cars', which are used by organised crime groups or contract criminals to commit and get away with serious offences.
The vehicles are often stolen cars with cloned licence plates that contain balaclavas, weapons, and jerry cans which can be used to destroy evidence.
Police claimed to have stopped an alleged 'kill car' plot in April after ramming into an Audi believed to be linked to multiple shooting and firebombing incidents across southwest Sydney.
Officers in October also pounced a group of men in a car, allegedly trying to intercept and kill their target as he picked up a child from daycare.
In April, two men and a 17-year-old were arrested over their alleged involvement in a firebombing.
Concerns over youth crime have made headlines across the country.
Children committed 57.6% of carjackings, 52.6% of home invasions, 47.8% of aggravated burglaries and 62.4% of robberies, according to Victorian government statistics.
Queensland and Victoria have passed controversial laws requiring children to face adult sentences for serious offences, while the NT has lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10.
But youth justice experts say such reforms will lead to the incarceration of already-vulnerable children and would not prevent them from re-offending.
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