Consistent with community policing initiatives adopted by the NSW Police Service , there has been increased consultation with and response to community expectations and demands have become important factors in determining the nature of the policing of youth. Moral panics' created or perpetrated by the media about the extent of juvenile offending are not recent phenomena. The unfortunate consequence of the often simplistic, sensationalised reporting of juvenile offending is the call for firm, swift responses, even though the complexity of the factors related to the causation of juvenile offending require complex solutions. Such solutions include the investment of resources in programs and policies which seek to prevent offending behaviour. The recorded reality of juvenile offending is somewhat at odds with popular beliefs.
Juvenile offending is generally spontaneous, unsophisticated and less serious than adult offending.
Juveniles often commit their offences close to home and in groups, which increase the chances of detection. The expectations of the community are more likely to be influenced by media representation and images of youth, than the reality as detailed above. Consequently, the community will frequently call on and expect police to deal with young people, due to their, perhaps unrealistic fear, of becoming victims of juvenile crime. New South Wales has seen the proclamation of legislation in recent years, which have different objectives. Some argue that the introduction of two Acts to enhance police powers and one Act to divert young people from the criminal justice system demonstrates the contradiction of approaches in dealing with juvenile offending.