Primary-school-aged kids pose for page that claims criminal links
A confronting picture of three primary-school-aged children gesturing rude symbols to the camera and holding what could be a makeshift weapon has been shared by an online account that encourages criminality and boasts a concerning name.
Police & Courts
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A picture of juvenile kids – some as young as primary school age – has today emerged on a social media account linked to serious Brisbane crime.
The image, posted on the notorious Brisbane Stealing Instagram account, shows three young kids boasting a large steel rod and gesturing rude hand symbols to the camera.
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One of the youths has a marijuana symbol on his hat and is wearing gloves – something that has become somewhat of a cult symbol for the group’s suggestion of “stealing.”
Boasting 10,000 followers, the page encourages users to “send sh** in” and makes a plea with disgruntled users who see offensive images to “don’t report, just block” the page.
Under the concerning image, posted around midday today, is the caption “Big boys watch out.”
A female, who appears to be a young adult, is also in the image with her arms around one of the kids.
Some comments include “hey, it’s the meth kids,” “shiver me timbers,” and “so f***ing cool bro, I wish I could be just like them.”
Other comments also make reference to their young age, with one user writing “Bruhs (boys) even got his mum posting with him for her Facebook post,” while another says “oh big boy’s got his dad’s tool,” in relation to the steel bar, which could be used as a makeshift weapon.
Other posts on the page include baby-faced kids smoking from bongs and pipes, posing with luxury cars they claim to have stolen, and flashing wads of cash.
Criminologist and former Queensland Police Service detective Terry Goldsworthy said although many of these accounts like to build around the notoriety of social media, they’re creating easily accessible intelligence for authorities.
“Young people are attracted to the power and influence of social media and those committing criminal acts use these type of mediums to build their reputation by highlighting their exploits,” he said.
“On the other hand it provides a great source of intelligence for the police and also evidence of offences that are catalogued for viewing in social media.”