"NO DIFFERENT here to Darwin" is how a new business owner describes Moree's high rate of youth crime.
"It has definitely worsened here since we took over the business 18 months ago," the owner said.
"It became so bad, we installed automatic gates that lock at night, that's deterred some break-ins, but not all."
The owner did not want to be named for fear of reprisals.
Nor did another businessman, who manages one of Moree's 14 motels.
"[Youth crime] is very scary," he said.
"A few months ago, young kids broke into one of the rooms and asked the guest for his car keys.
"He wanted to take the car for a joyride. The matter was reported to police and they caught the boys, but I later heard they were released on bail."
Youth crime is not only affecting the town's 8000-odd residents. It is also impacting business.
Motels change hands rapidly, the owner said, while key landmarks, such as the Victoria Hotel, remain closed.
Balo Square, the main shopping centre with tenants such as Coles and Liquorland, is struggling to find new owners for its newsagency.
Moree Shire Council is offering $1 pop-up shops in the Max Centre, but uptake has been limited so far.
There are 17 businesses for sale in Moree, ranging from motels and retail to factories and farms.
Youth crime might not be the sole driver of a dip in business confidence in Moree.
But it has put the Northern Tablelands town on the map, for all the wrong reasons.
In 2010, Australian Geographic named Moree Australia's richest shire.
By 2024, the town was described as the state's crime capital.
Just last Saturday, October 4, an attempted break-in ended with a 56-year-old man in hospital and four boys in custody, charged with offences including aggravated break and enter and breach of bail.
The boys were aged between 11 and 13, police said.
In September, a 52-year-old motel owner was stabbed after he confronted a group of teenagers who had broken into the premises
Moree Mayor Susannah Pearse said she feared it would take a death for meaningful change to happen with the town's soaring youth crime.
"These kids are out to do the wrong thing and overwhelmingly, they are not facing consequences," Ms Pearse said.
"Moree has nine times the number of break-and-enters than other NSW towns, and each incident has a profound effect on our community.
"It's really frustrating; these kids have to be off the streets, and community safety has to come first."
As with business owners contacted in town, Ms Pearse is an advocate for reforming doli incapax laws.
It is a push begun by Northern Tablelands MP Brendan Moylan.
Earlier this year, the Moree-raised MP introduced a Private Member's Bill aimed at abolishing the archaic law that presumes youths aged between 10 and 14 are incapable of understanding the consequences of criminal actions.
That led to a review by the NSW Government into doli incapax. Led by Geoffrey Bellew and Jeffrey Loy, the review is due to be reported to Parliament by December.
In March last year, Premier Chris Minns promised 13.4 million for a targeted response to address youth crime in Moree.
Part of that package was $8.75 million to build a safe house, or bail facility, for at-risk children.
But the facility remains on the drawing board, to the frustration of Ms Pearse and others.
Another frustration is the introduction of centralised bail hearings, now mainly heard at Parramatta Local Court.
Introduced earlier this year, the new system was designed to streamline the process for defendants who are refused bail or appear on arrest warrants.
Ms Pearse said the move meant magistrates no longer had a direct connection with the local community.
"These kids are refused bail by police but later granted bail often at Parramatta, with legal officers who have no deep understanding of what is happening on the ground here," Ms Pearse said.
"That fosters a pattern of repeat offending, since a lot of these kids who are committing the crimes are actually on bail."
Earlier this year, the Northern Territory Government amended the Youth Justice Regulations, reclassifying 13 offences as serious and requiring children who commit them to attend court.
Youths in the NT who commit serious offences such as assaulting police and driving stolen vehicles will be ineligible for justice diversion programs.
Ms Pearse advocated for a similar response in NSW.
While diversionary programs in Moree helped keep some kids off the streets, they did not catch the more serious recidivist offenders, she said.
"Night-time activities cater for a different cohort to the kids who are the serious youth offenders," Ms Pearse said.
"I am praying something will be done soon, before we see acts of vigilantism and we don't want a town where fed up groups will take the law into their own hands."