Video wars: Disturbing hierarchy behind Queensland teen crims on social media

Shocking online discoveries have revealed how juvenile offenders are using social media to climb the criminal ladder, as a special investigation uncovers young criminals’ activities in the state’s most crime-riddled city.

Juvenile offenders are giving crimes different values and trying to outdo each other on social media to climb the criminal ladder.

The shocking revelations come after a Courier-Mail investigation into how young criminals use social media to broadcast their crimes in the state’s most crime-riddled city – Townsville.

Dozens of dedicated pages were discovered on Instagram – including both public and private pages – most with several videos from inside stolen cars, speeding at almost lethal speeds, and posing beside the cars like a prize.

Screenshots as juvenile offenders are giving crimes different values and trying to outdo each other on social media to climb the criminal ladder.

Townsville Detective Acting Inspector Dave Miles said police have learned some groups of offenders are putting values on different crimes and trying to outdo the other.

“We know that from the information we have within the detention centres there are groups that want to escalate their offending because they assign different values to different sorts of offences to try and show how competent they are among their peers for offending,” Acting Inspector Miles said.

“If someone gets a particular car, then someone will want to get a better car.

“If someone wants to challenge police in a certain way, then they will ramp up the way they challenge police … they will pursue police, ram police.

“Each thing, for them, gets a different rating as far as notoriety.”

Screenshots as juvenile offenders are giving crimes different values and trying to outdo each other on social media to climb the criminal ladder.

Screenshots as juvenile offenders are giving crimes different values and trying to outdo each other on social media to climb the criminal ladder.

According to Queensland Police data, the North Queensland city has the worst crime rate of any other city in the state. It is only outdone by the regional town of Mount Isa.

Acting Inspector Miles said there was a group of about 15 to 20 juveniles among different circles in Townsville who posted every single crime they committed to social media.

He said there was also a hierarchy within the groups which determined how they could post to social media, saying it was a regular occurrence in North Queensland.

“They try to provoke police with their actions and put it up on social media as some sort of claim of right.

“It’s not every stolen car, certainly, but if we get a particular cohort who engage it, they will advertise every one of their activities.”

“We know there’s a hierarchical movement of young people and depending on where they are on the hierarchy depends how they post.

“They do it in a way of celebrating what they think is their success.”

Acting Inspector Miles said some of the juveniles had a “thirst” to beat others by committing more crime or stealing a car of higher value.

Townsville Police Acting Detective Inspector Dave Miles. Picture: Liam Kidston

“What we probably see sometimes when these young people are advertising is their thirst to outdo each other, and we will see an escalation in offences that we will have to address as a matter of urgency.”

Townsville woman Mandy Blake knows the helpless feeling of watching her car being broadcast on social media.

Her Mitsubishi Lancer was stolen by a group of juveniles who then shared videos of themselves inside her prized possession to social media, and even drove past Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

Screenshots as juvenile offenders are giving crimes different values and trying to outdo each other on social media to climb the criminal ladder.

“I felt disgusted really, violated, it was something I had worked hard for and was how I made my living,” Ms Blake said.

“It was pretty frustrating, I couldn’t understand why they could post it.

“They were out the whole day, I couldn’t understand how it was posted but no one could do anything about it.”

Forensic psychologist Dr Robert Walkely said social media had become the modern version of a peer group for juveniles.

“Peer groups are now communicating endlessly on social media. Every thought that comes into their head is put onto a screen and read and interacted with … and now that’s their universe” Dr Walkley said.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli labelled the revelations “deeply troubling”

“To see today young thugs playing some sort of sick game while they’re tearing the lives of Queenslanders apart shows we are reaching a point of no return,” he said.

“To see how you have a generation of young, repeat, hardcore offenders conducting themselves with complete and utter immunity, complete and utter disdain for the law it shows that the youth crime laws in this state become an absolute game for these thugs.”