21 Jump St: Young cops pose as teens to bust street crime

Young cops in plain clothes are patrolling Sydney’s streets at night, ready to pounce on roaming teens planning to steal from cars and break into homes. Here’s how they operate.

It’s Sydney’s version of 21 Jump Street — young officers wandering through streets at night in plain clothes, ready to pounce on roaming teens planning to steal from cars and break into homes.

The general duties officers, who are normally in uniform, are part of a proactive campaign to stop robberies before they happen, and this weekend caught four kids after a foot chase through Drummoyne.

The teens were in possession of a balaclava and two fob keys, and one had a gel blaster in his bag.

Burwood Police Area Commander Christine McDonald said “the amazing proactive efforts” from the three plain clothes officers and their colleagues in general duties on Friday night was proof the ­initiative was working.

“It’s actually terrifying to think these young people are roaming the streets in the middle of the night when they should be in bed, armed with balaclavas and house-breaking implements,” she said. “We have intercepted over 20 kids at least so far which would have resulted in home invasions, and cars stolen. Our aim is to catch them before they commit the crime then everyone is safe, the young people included.”

Young plain clothes cops on patrol in Sydney as part of the new police tactic.

Johnny Depp (l to r), Peter Deluise and Dustin Nguyen in 21 Jump St.

The kids are coming into the area from Lane Cove, Artarmon, Hunters Hill, Miller, Heckenberg, and as far away as Jamberoo on the south coast.

Superintendent McDonald, an experienced detective who worked in Fairfield in the mid-2000s when the sons of organised crime gangs known as the Assyrian Kings were getting around the streets, says the proactive approach benefits everyone.

The gel blaster seized by police this weekend.

“Basically the plain clothes officers roam around during the night to protect our streets,” she said.

“These young people will never know where we are and when we might pop up. They should be the ones watching their backs.”

The general duties officers are being rotated through the Proactive Crime Team to develop their skills, give them some respite from frontline policing, and allow them to wear “very casual clothes” and hunt criminals.

“Call it 21 Jump Street, call it what you want, I’m not going to tolerate these crimes being committed by young people on our streets,” she said, referring to the US TV series in the ’80s and ’90s focusing on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in schools, gangs and other teen venues.

Meanwhile, police in country areas this week arrested 10 juveniles –– nine of whom were repeat offenders — as part of Operation Mongoose.

The teens were nabbed over property offences in Tamworth, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Taree, Nambucca Heads, Inverell, Muswellbrook, Aberdeen and Scone.

Deputy Commissioner, Regional NSW Field Operations, Paul Pisanos said young age of the offenders, the nature of the offending and the distances they travelled were concerning.

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