NSW Premier Chris Minns has defended the way police treat young Indigenous people in the State, telling the Guardian newspaper the force was not to blame for disproportionate incarceration rates.

The Prenier also stated he was reluctant to hold an inquiry into regional crime, something the Country Mayors Association, the police union and some regional MPs were asking for.

“We can’t just put it all on the police’s shoulders or blame the police, because often a whole series of things have gone wrong before there’s an interaction between an Indigenous youth and a NSW police officer,” Mr Mimms said.

“That’s a really complex problem that we have to try and solve.”

The Premier’s trip to the Barwon electorate in outback northwest NSW came as a result of a Law Enforcement Conduct Commission report about NSW police’s treatment of Indigenous people and the violent arrest of a disabled teenager in August.

Country Mayors Association chairman Jamie Chaffey is leading the campaign for an inquiry.

Mr Mimms said he was “concerned about the level of Aboriginal incarceration but added: “The NSW police have got a really good idea about how to combat crime, build community safety and have more security in regional communities.

NSW police minister Yasmin Catley said a parliamentary inquiry would only delay action and the government was committed to supporting young people.

Jamie Chaffey, who is chair of the Country Mayors Association, is leading the campaign for an inquiry.

Mr Chaffey, the mayor of Gunnedah shire, said the move was not political.

“This is about the quality of life in rural NSW. When we know we have people scared to live in some communities … it’s our job to make sure that without fear or favour we call that out,” he said.