African gangs in Melbourne are a problem, police admit, as Victorian Government defends strategy
By Brad Ryan and Guy Stayner
Updated 27 minutes ago
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VIDEO: Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton talks about 'young thugs' in Melbourne (ABC News)
RELATED STORY: African gang crime 'out of control' in Melbourne: Greg Hunt
MAP: Tarneit 3029the trashing of an Airbnb property in Werribee, vandalism in Tarneit and a night of violence at St Kilda Beach involving dozens of youths.
Just days after Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said he did "not accept for a minute that we do have gangs", Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said there were African street gangs in Melbourne.
"We have for a significant period of time said that there is an issue with overrepresentation by African youth in serious and violent offending as well as public disorder issues," Acting Commissioner Patton said.
"These young thugs, these young criminals, they're not an organised crime group like a Middle Eastern organised crime group or an outlaw motorcycle gang. But they're behaving like street gangs, so let's call them that — that's what they are."
More frontline police
Ms Neville said most African migrants were law-abiding citizens, but "this core group of African youths are causing huge fear".
She said Victoria Police noticed youth offending "go to a new level" in 2016, and the State Government responded by:
"These resource are having an impact," Ms Neville said.
- adding resources to the gangs squad and special operations group
- recruiting 3,135 additional frontline police
- funding an intelligence system, bulletproof vehicles and other technology and resources.
"We have seen substantial breaking up of a number of the networked youth offenders in other parts of the state.
"We've seen the biggest decrease in the crime rate in over a decade."
PHOTO: Cars were damaged when an Airbnb property was trashed in Werribee last month. (ABC News: Joanna Crothers)
Ms Neville said upcoming changes to the Youth Parole Board meant police would be informed when young people were paroled, and conditions would be placed on parolees to prevent reoffending.
A program that started in November was also targeting repeat offenders with intensive, individual case management, she said.
'Out of control'
Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Government was concerned about "growing gang violence and lawlessness" in Melbourne, and frontbencher Greg Hunt said "African gang crime in some areas in particular is clearly out of control".
With a state election less than a year away, the federal Coalition is pushing the merits of its Victorian counterparts' law-and-order policy, including a pledge to introduce mandatory sentencing for repeat offenders behind crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies and aggravated car-jackings.
Sudanese youth mentor Nelly Yoa is also critical of the State Government.
"The punishments are not harsh enough. The Victorian Government has been so lenient on youth offending," he told ABC News this morning.
"We need to start from a grassroots level. Community engagement with these youths is paramount."
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VIDEO: 'It doesn't matter where you've come from,' says Sudanese youth mentor Nelly Yoa (ABC News)
But another Sudanese community leader, Richard Deng, said the Prime Minister should be more supportive of the State Government's efforts.
"[The] African community shouldn't be used as a political tool to win [an] election," he said.
Ahmed Hassan, the director of an organisation that helps marginalised young people, said the proportion of African youths involved in crime was a small minority.
"We seemingly don't have an African gang problem — what we do have is young people who are disadvantaged, who are disengaged, a young cohort who are coming together that are causing this mischievous activity," said Mr Hassan, who runs the Youth Activating Youth program.
Shadow attorney-general John Pesutto said the Government should drop Youth Control Orders — a sentencing option requiring young offenders to take part in education or work and comply with conditions such as curfews.
"Now is not the time to be introducing measures from Daniel Andrews that will make it easier … for violent offenders to remain out on the street," he said.
PHOTO: Rocks were thrown at police outside an Airbnb property that was being damaged. (ABC News: Joanna Crothers)
Stats shed light on problem
Data from Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency, below, shows an overrepresentation of Sudanese-born and Kenyan-born offenders in some crime categories, proportional to their Victorian populations.
They also show a sharp rise in Sudanese-born offenders involved in armed robberies, from 20 in the 2014-15 financial year to 98 two years later.
However, the statistics also show that a Victorian is more than 25 times more likely to be seriously assaulted by someone born in Australia or New Zealand than someone born in Sudan or Kenya.
They are almost five times more likely to be the victim of an aggravated burglary committed by an Australian or New Zealand-born offender, than one born in Sudan or Kenya.
According to Census figures, people born in Sudan make up about 0.1 per cent of Victoria's population. The Kenyan-born population in Victoria is about the half the size of the Sudanese-born population.
Serious assault
Alleged offender's country of birth 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Australia 1,699 1,576 1,462
New Zealand 87 75 91
Sudan 29 50 45
Kenya 4 10 15
Aggravated burglary
Alleged offender's country of birth 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Australia 182 504 540
New Zealand ≤ 3 6 28
Sudan 20 53 98
Kenya ≤ 3 17 20
Non-aggravated burglary
Alleged offender's country of birth 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Australia 2,166 1,670 1,773
New Zealand 32 33 69
Sudan 57 29 54
Kenya 10 ≤ 3 17
Motor vehicle theft
Alleged offender's country of birth 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Australia 2,021 2,211 2,078
New Zealand 63 141 151
Sudan 81 80 81
Kenya 5 35 21
Sexual offences
Alleged offender's country of birth 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Australia 317 379 361
New Zealand ≤ 3 8 ≤ 3
Sudan 5 9 6
All other countries 31 27 21
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-02/street-gangs-are-a-problem-in-melbourne-police-admit/9297984
