Machetes among other knives are being used for break and enters, cars are being stolen, and community members are spending thousands on security systems throughout Kempsey Shire.
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The offenders are seemingly more often than not young people.
The Minns Labor government will this week introduce legislation to amend bail laws along with a $26.2m package of initiatives it says will address youth crime in regional NSW.
The Bail Act would be changed to include an extra test for 14 to 18-year-olds charged with committing certain serious break-and-enter or motor vehicle theft offences while on bail for the same offences and seeking further bail.
Member for Oxley Michael Kemp has called the government's regional crime package a "knee-jerk reaction, lacking key details and ignoring rising rates of crime in our region".
The $26.2 million package to enhance the safety of regional communities includes a $13.4 million pilot program in Moree which focuses on bail and support accommodation, improved delivery of youth services and better sources for local and children's courts.
"The government's package might be good for Moree, but what about our region and the rest of the country NSW suffering rising rates of youth crime?" Mr Kemp said
The government says it will evaluate the new programs implemented in Moree in 12 months' time, before rolling anything out to other communities.
"We cannot afford to wait another year, we need to see major intervention now," Mr Kemp said.
"The government must not delay any further - we need help now."
Locals left feeling unsafe
Gail and Barrie Cheers say they haven't slept well in over two years since their Aldavilla home was broken into and a car stolen, with offenders returning two more times in the months following.
"They took money, they came into the house, it was pouring rain, we were sound asleep didn't hear a thing," Mrs Cheers said.
"The sheds were open, they'd been through everything, taken my handbag."
The couple got their car back, but the keys were still missing, and so they changed the locks.
Only months later, a group returned attempting to steal their car once again. This time unsuccessfully.
"By then we had alarms all around the house," Mrs Cheers said.
Mr Cheers believes they spent at least $6000 securing their home.
"It cost us a lot of money, because we had to change the roller doors and all the locks," Mrs Cheers said.
"Another two to three months later, [people] returned again, by this time we had cameras up and we had film of them and one [person] had a machete," Mrs Cheers said.
"Perhaps we were lucky we didn't wake up the first time, because that's when they were inside the house.
"We still don't sleep real well, that's for sure."
The first incident was in 2022.
"Every noise you hear, you think there's somebody there," Mr Cheers said.
South West Rocks resident Michael Reig has also had repeat incidents at his property.
On February 6, Mr Reig saw a single person loitering at 3am via his security system.
"They looked around the carport and then disappeared," Mr Reig said.
Just last week, on Monday, March 11 three people were once again caught on Mr Reig's CCTV at 1.19am.
"This time, one of them carried visible knife," he said.
Mr Reig was prepared and had secured his bikes.
"You can see on the camera [one person] points to the [alarm system] because it would make a lot of noise, and then they all left."
While his home security measures seemingly deterred people, Mr Reig is not satisfied, and wants to see criminals face the consequences.
"It's the fact that they walk around with a knife on my property, which makes me feel very unsafe," he said.
Too many chances
Mr Reig believes those offending are re-offending and therefore given too many chances.
"Giving them a second chance, I mean, how much is enough?," he said. "If you live in South West Rocks, [it feels like] every night there is a car gone."
Mr Reig wants to see more police presence in his hometown, and more action taken on people caught on camera loitering around houses.
"We want to see additional police presence, that they are fully resourced to do their job," he said. "At the moment they are under-resourced, they have no fighting chance.
"And the judiciary system has to punish people who are re-offending."
Mr Kemp believes young people offending should be given a second and third chance through mentoring and community programs, however, agrees with bail refusal when an individual recommits the same crime.
"They need to find the ability to become productive in society, and that is through mentors...and being shown how to do simple skills to become employable."
Mr Kemp is a supporter of refusing bail to those that police deem applicable; those who have offended multiple times and are awaiting sentencing or who have been sentenced before, and wants to see more power given to local police guidance on these matters.
"There comes a time when [an individual] has been arrested multiple times for the same crime that bail should be refused.
"The magistrate might not understand as much about the actual individual involved... as the police person about an individual kid who they've dealt with multiple times.
"If they have been arrested for the same crime again then I totally support bail refusal."
