Mackay City Crims page gets axed, Meta cracks down

Meta has removed a controversial Instagram page in which “wannabe gangsters” posted and boasted about their Queensland crimes amid ongoing police operations targeting young offenders. VIDEO.

A social media page where young criminals shared videos and photos of their escapades has been removed from the platform by administrators for violating community and content guidelines.

The Instagram page, Mackay City Crims, had been used to share videos of joyrides, stolen vehicles and contraband, with one poster going as far as to show off a handgun.

One video posted not only showed posters handling large wads of cash, but also holding a handgun.

One commenter in the Mackay Crime Watch Facebook group said, “I’m beyond disgusted”.

“It’s the same little sh-ts out doing the same crimes most nights.”

Some videos shared to the page before it was taken down depicted youths entering properties at night and stealing cars from driveways.

“This is what I mean by our system is failing,” the commenter said.

Another anonymous group member pointed out that the Instagram page’s posts were “public on purpose”.

“These ‘wannabe gangsters’ are just laughing at the police.”

The action against the Mackay crims page comes after operation Mackay Jupiter was executed across the Mackay region and saw nine alleged offenders, between the ages of 11 and 17, charged.

Mackay Whitsunday Detective Inspector Emma Novosel said that Mackay is in a unique situation with a relatively small cohort of youth offenders. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Mackay Whitsunday Crime and Support Services Detective Inspector Emma Novosel said the charges included, “property related charges like burglary, wilful damage, stealing and unlawful use of a motor vehicles”.

Posters generally wore some form of mask during their exploits, trying to maintain some anonymity.

After the Mackay City Crims Instagram page was removed a Meta spokesperson said the social media giant’s “policies prohibit people from promoting criminal or harmful activities”.

“We will remove this content as soon as we become aware,” the statement read.

Meta also said it engaged with law enforcement to flag content of concern, but it was unclear if Queensland Police were involved in the decision to remove this particular page from Instagram.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman indicated that online pages like these are monitors by their Digital Intelligence and Community Engagement Team (DICE).

“Through intelligence-driven strategies, DICE officers target offenders seeking notoriety as they ‘boast and post’ or livestream their crimes online,” the spokesman said.

“Since DICE began operations, over 196 young people have been charged with the aggravating factor of social media boasting since laws passed in March 2023.”

“DICE enhances the QPS’s identification of offenders and victims through social media and other community platforms and improves the reporting and recording of criminal offences, which can be used to apprehend and prosecute offenders.”