Western Australia was among the last of the Australian States to adopt juvenile justice diversionary schemes, despite a general acknowledgment that juveniles' involvement in the justice system typically perpetuates, rather than reduces, their delinquency. Its police force overemphasizes law enforcement and underemphasizes the rights of young people. Thus, it tends toward over policing or harassment of some groups of juveniles, use of arrest rather than summons, and reactive policing of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Most notably, high-speed pursuit of juvenile (disproportionately Aboriginal) car thieves has become increasingly common. Relations between socioeconomically disadvantaged youth and police have deteriorated such that it perpetuates a cycle of hostility. Police training in youth issues was stepped up in 1992, but more needs to be done. Of particular concern is a lack of psychiatric services for young offenders. Illustration and 13 references