Six children accused of stealing Dapto car, joyriding will not be charged

The children - two girls and four boys aged between 12 and 14 years - allegedly travelled from Dapto pool to Kanahooka in a dark blue Kia Sportage 4WD wagon on Tuesday, January 16.

Police said drivers aged 13 and 14 allegedly swapped driving duties as a PolAir helicopter watched overhead.

The children were finally caught by police after they stopped the car in bushland near Kanahooka and ran in different directions.

A NSW Police spokeswoman told the Mercury the children will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act 1997.

This Act provides provides alternatives to going to court for juveniles who have broken the law, such as warnings, formal cautions and youth justice conferences.

The car was reported stolen from Laver Road at Dapto.

A pursuit was not initiated by police when they spotted the stolen car due to the drivers' ages, Lake Illawarra Police District Chief Inspector Gordon Dunlop said.

"For a community it's sad that our youth are obviously stealing someone's property and endangering peoples' lives because they definitely wouldn't be skilled enough to drive a car," he said.

"Police weigh up the risks and we didn't pursue them because of that very reason."

The children are from Koonawarra, Kanahooka, Dapto and Shellharbour.

The Act covers people aged 10 to 17 years when they allegedly broke the law. If the offender is over 18, but committed the crime when they were a juvenile, they can still be treated under the Act while they are under 21.

The Act recognises young people should not be treated the same as adults.

Some of the offences that can be dealt with under the Act include shoplifting, offensive language, causing damage to property, drinking alcohol in a public place; and break and enter into a home and stealing (if what was stolen was worth $60,000 or less).