A few village mayors have raised concerns about the involvement of children as young as 14 years old in cases of house break-ins and burglaries.

Last week, two Year Nine students appeared in the Supreme Court for burglary and theft.

The issue is concerning said village mayors. Some said that the problem should be addressed so that teenagers avoid going down a path of crime.

Veu Esera of Satalo said it's unbelievable to see teenagers involved in these crimes.

"This is a community effort to try and tackle this problem," he said.

"It's sad to see this is happening, and we, the village leaders, should stand together with the church leaders and parents to find ways to eliminate it," he added.

The same reaction was echoed by another village mayor, Patea Aipovi of Sapunaoa.

He said he was shocked to hear the news of these two youngsters, who are still in school, allegedly committing these crimes.

"There is no other way than uniting to find ways to assist our children, encourage them with fruitful ways to stay away from these crimes."

He said some students are affected by peer pressure, and there are many ways the village and church leaders should help tackle the problem.

Patea said this has to stop before it's too late.

He added that children are easily addicted to the new technology, and this is an example of a disadvantage of it.

"I hope that these students who have been charged will be given a chance to go through rehabilitation programme and learn their lessons," he added.

Burglary and theft cases have been on the rise in the past months, and most of them involved teenagers who are no longer in school.