ABSTRACT
This chapter will begin by contextualising juvenile justice and youth crime in Australia before considering the nature and extent of crime and victimisation experienced by young people. By doing so, an illustration of the engagement between the police and young people will emerge. Attention will be paid to the policies adopted across Australian state and territory police forces with regards to engaging with young people, evidencing how such approaches can inform police practice. Through examining the approaches used to guide police practice in their working with young people, relations between the two groups are considered. The chapter will draw to a close by considering the implications for future police practice and subsequent relations with young people along with ways to prevent, disrupt, and reduce youth crime.
