Kimberley teens using stolen cars to ‘hunt’ police, with top cop warning ‘real tragedy’ could be around corner

The Kimberley’s top cop says police in the region are being “hunted” by youth and issued a warning that if something drastic isn’t done tragedy will be unavoidable. Speaking at the Pastoralists and Graziers Association annual conference in Broome last week, Kimberley police superintendent Craig Parkin said there had been a clear trend of kids using stolen vehicles to target police vehicles. “These kids, 12 or 13 years old, are stealing the keys to 200 series LandCruisers, then hunting police cars,” he said. “We had three police cars, including the one in Fitzroy, written off in just 36 hours. “There is a real danger here for our policing community and I keep saying that it’s only a matter of time before there’s a real tragedy and ... we are trying to avoid that.” At about 4am on September 20, Sergeant Neville Ripp, who had spent more than 20 years as an officer in the region, was inside his vehicle when it was allegedly hit by a stolen Toyota LandCruiser in Fitzroy Crossing. The police vehicle rolled and Sergeant Ripp was taken to Broome hospital for treatment. Two Fitzroy Crossing boys, aged 15 and 16, were charged over the incident. Just five days later a teenager from Derby allegedly went on a wild rampage in a stolen car which saw multiple local businesses damaged and two police officers injured. The court was told the boy allegedly broke into Far North Community Services, damaged the internal doors of the property, stole $100 cash and the keys to a Nissan X-Trail, and proceeded to drive the vehicle recklessly through the streets before ramming a police patrol care and injuring the two officers inside. It is understood the two officers have been unable to return to work since the incident. A 12-year-old girl died less than three months ago when a car with seven children crashed near Fitzroy Crossing and just days later three children were critically injured in a similar incident near Wyndham. To address the crime spike which saw more than 90 burglaries and 37 cars stolen in Broome in three weeks, extra officers were flown to the region. Supt. Parkin said the operation had been successful in reducing the volume of crime, but more attention needed to be paid to programs to ensure the offending stops.