Gloating Adelaide gangs in new police taskforce’s line of fire amid push to turn teen crims towards sport and culture

SA’s new anti-street gang squad has repeat youth offenders and technology glorifying teenage crime in its sights amid efforts to direct troublemakers into sport and culture.

SA Police last month launched a dedicated Youth and Street Gangs Taskforce. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Repeat offenders and young thugs boasting of violent crimes on social media are in the firing line of the state’s new anti-streetgang squad who want to lure criminals into sport and culture.

SA Police last month launched a dedicated Youth and Street Gangs Taskforce, which has a combination of detectives, general duty plain-clothed officers and intelligence operatives.

Police have merged temporary operations Mandrake, which investigated Indigenous offenders, with Meld, that fights against Adelaide’s gang war involving people of African heritage.

But Taskforce officers are also spearheading “preventive” initiatives, especially on teenage gangs, with a fresh focus on directing them into activities such as sport and engaging with positive role models to “break the cycle”.

Senior police have revealed the new unit, which has an extra 13 officers, is also cracking down on “recidivist” offenders who repeatedly commit crimes.

Detectives face “changing” teenage crime as technology, such as mobile phones and social media, emboldened youths to “brag” about illegal exploits.

Acting Assistant Commissioner John De Candia said most youths are really well-behaved, but a “very small cohort” break the law and will be arrested to keep communities safe.

Mr De Candia, who currently oversees Metropolitan Operations Service including the Taskforce and Adelaide’s four policing districts, said youth crime hotspots centred on the northern suburbs and parts of the west.

“Social media plays a part in things,” he said.

“There’s greater, more propensity to be recording details on phones and the whole nature of use, wanting to enhance their image, so to speak …. to record their own crimes, to brag.

“We see the issue with more of the street gangs in relation to having their – I’ll probably show my age – own rap songs and all that type of stuff.

“It’s that nature of changing crime as to how they’re what they perceive to be cool for them … to get more followers or to get more popular.”

SA Police acting Assistant Commissioner John De Candia said the taskforce focused on diverting teens away from crime and early intervention. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Operation Meld targeted gangs with members from Adelaide’s African communities. Picture: Supplied

Police figures show 10 per cent of youth offenders are responsible for at least half of all reported SA crime involving young people.

While not blaming big tech companies, Mr De Candia said everyone has a “part to play in trying to break that cycle”, encouraging offenders to “grow up and mature” and avoid youth, or adult courts.

Troubled youths often had “complex” backgrounds, he said, with broken homes and no stability or supervision. Some are the latest generation of family law-breakers.

He said while detectives quickly arrested offenders, officers – with other government agencies and community leaders – focused efforts on sport or other cultural activities.

“You identify kids, young people, for example, who might be inclined to start committing … house break ins or stealing some cars,” he said.

“Often, that nature of crime is in more of a series type and generally they’re misled by either older kids or young adults.

“So it’s a matter of working with their family groups (and) their leaders in their community.

“It’s … to prevent them from becoming serious, repeat offenders … who then become entrenched in the (justice system).”

The last state budget allocated $2.5 million over the next four years for an “empowering African youth program” with early intervention measures through sport and culture.

Multicultural Affairs Minister Zoe Bettison said this included one-on-one support mentoring, cultural educational and community sport.

“This project ultimately supports families and parents, building on the capacities our resilient African South Australian communities already have in place,” she said.

The Human Services department also has other diversion programs for violent offenders and Aboriginal children.

Originally published as Gloating Adelaide gangs in new police taskforce’s line of fire amid push to turn teen crims towards sport and culture