MELBOURNE, VIC. — A youth gang behind more than 4,500 criminal offences is firmly in the sights of Victoria Police, with 40 of its members now subject to a Firearm Prohibition Order following sweeping police action over the past fortnight.
Detectives from the Gang Crime Squad were supported by the VIPER and Echo taskforces and detectives from the North West Metro and Western regions, serving 19 FPOs on gang members in recent weeks, according to Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly of the State Anti-Gangs Division.
“Police understand the concern when gang violence occurs and the impact this has on our commitment to the community. We will continue to target and hold offenders to account who seek to commit serious and violent crime,” Detective Superintendent Kelly said.
The gang, which Victoria Police will not name the gang, so as not to fuel notoriety, now has 40 members between the ages of 17 and 26, subjected to an FPO.
Over the past two years, this group has been connected to numerous homicides involving knives and firearms, as well as home invasions, burglaries, carjackings, robberies, and assaults.
Twelve (12) FPOs were served on Wednesday, April 8, on members aged between 20 and 25 living in Craigieburn, Hillside, Sunshine West, Melton, Sunbury, Tarneit, Footscray (2), Deer Park, Aintree, Armstrong Creek, Weir Views and Sebastopol.
Four gang members aged 23 (2), 24 and 25 were also arrested for offences, including theft of a motor vehicle, drug possession, handling stolen goods and outstanding warrants.
A further seven FPOs have since been served on gang members aged between 19 and 26 who are currently in custody.
It is anticipated that further members from this gang will be issued FPOs in the future.
These orders enable police to conduct unannounced searches to ensure they do not have firearms.
Victoria Police is proactively carrying out FPO checks on gang members in increasing numbers, with 88 young people holding different gang connections currently subject to an FPO.
During the course of these searches, police are also uncovering other weapons, with almost 400 gang members charged with possessing weapons such as machetes and firearms last year.
Victoria Police continues to run a dedicated operation targeting youth gangs named Operation Alliance.
“If you join a gang, you will regret it. It ends badly and very likely results in you or others being seriously assaulted, your family being impacted and you being arrested and charged for serious criminal offences,” Detective Superintendent Kelly said.
As part of this operation, detectives are deploying a range of disruption strategies across the city each day, including FPO checks, bail compliance, and intelligence-led patrols where gangs are known to congregate and offend.
In addition to this preventative work, Operation Alliance also continues to effect major arrests, with 440 youth gang members arrested almost 1,400 times in the past year.
3,750 charges were laid in relation to these matters – most commonly for crimes such as car thefts, aggravated burglaries, robberies, weapon offences, and assaults.
Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
