Marilyn Figgett has survived 17 home invasions over the past 18 years.
But the profoundly deaf 75-year-old lifetime resident of Kempsey on the NSW Mid North Coast counts herself as lucky because she has never been hurt in the robberies.
"I've had people come through my window while I was sleeping," Ms Figgett told an inquiry on Tuesday.
"I've been lying in my bed and had a torch put in my face, and had to pretend I was asleep."
Ms Figget was one of several victims of crime to share their experiences at the Kempsey hearing of a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into regional crime.
The crime divide
Marilyn Figgett, John Roydhouse and Gail Cheers address the inquiry. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
The Committee on Law and Safety inquiry is investigating the drivers of youth crime in regional areas.
It is also seeking out specific actions the state government can take to prevent crime.
Public hearings were held earlier this month in Bourke and Broken Hill in western NSW.
Analysis from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released earlier this year showed the gap between crime rates in regional parts of the state and Sydney was growing, with rates significantly higher in the regions.
While Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed a decline in youth crime in NSW over the past four years, the state government invested $26 million in March to help curb higher rates in some regional areas.
The NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety held a public hearing into rural crime. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Search for solutions
Former schoolteacher Gail Cheers said she had been the victim of numerous home invasions and car thefts at her home near Kempsey.
Gail Cheers told the inquiry about her experiences as a victim of crime. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"It's terrifying, I don't sleep at night, my husband doesn't sleep at night, we sleep with a large mattock handle beside the bed and spotlights," she said.
She said support for young people from the early school years was crucial.
"It needs to be the whole community and services who work with the kids and parents," she said.
John Roydhouse told the inquiry he needed to seek mental health support after his home was robbed at South West Rocks in March.
John Roydhouse spoke to the rural crime inquiry about a home invasion he experienced. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"You remember it every day, as just on dusk you do a lock up and bolt yourself into your home every night," he said.
"I'm lucky in South West Rocks, we have a voluntary self-help men's group and that has been a godsend for me.
"Not everyone is aware of those sorts of things."
Mr Roydhouse said apart from the psychological toll of the robbery, he also struggled to prove his identity to do things like cancel his credit cards because he was unable to use two-factor authentication without his stolen mobile phone.
Need for safe spaces
NSW Police Northern Regional Commander David Waddell told the hearing on Tuesday there was a need for more safe places for young people involved in a cycle of crime.
Committee members hear submissions at Kempsey on Tuesday. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"How do we fix the situation for those kids who can't be at home, don't want to be at home, where do they go," Assistant Commissioner Waddell said.
Mid North Coast Police Commander Shane Cribb suggested the establishment of an alternative boarding school for children who had been suspended from mainstream schools.
Superintendent Cribb said it would offer education, support services and a safe place to sleep.
Hearings so far
Parliamentary committee chair Edmond Atalla said early intervention was crucial.
"The common theme is the problem is the home; the home is broken, there is alcohol, there's drugs, there's domestic violence and the kids don't want to be at home in those environments so they go out and roam the streets," he said.
Edmond Atalla attended the hearings in Kempsey. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
"We have heard evidence from police that the kids don't want to commit crime, so when they leave their home they front up to the police station saying 'Can we spend the night here on the bench'."
The committee will present its preliminary report to parliament by May 30, 2025, with the final report expected in November 2025.