The War: Young Blood - Premier tells knife-wielding gangs ‘we will track you down and lock you up’

Primary schoolchildren are being recruited into Sydney postcode gangs as NSW Police battle to control the number of young people carrying knives – and using them – to fuel rising conflicts across the city. WATCH EPISODE ONE OF THE WAR: YOUNG BLOOD

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet wants harsher penalties imposed on those involved in knife and gang related crime, as the state faces an escalating crisis of youth violence.

Premier Perrottet said despite intense efforts from NSW Police to manage recent postcode gang, knife and gun related crimes, he wants to see more severe punishments put in place to stop young Australians getting involved.

“I want to see stronger sentences when it comes to knife crime, particularly in our state,” he said on Monday morning.

The comments came as The Daily Telegraph revealed almost 900 children aged 13 and under have been charged by police in the 12 months to April this year – 17 of those were aged just 10.

This youth violence has already claimed the lives of 11 young men and teenagers.

“Police are doing a great job everyday supporting communities and keeping them safe,” Premier Perrottet said.

“Just last week we had 140 arrests. That’s 140 too many but I’ll make this point, if you are involved in knife crime you will be arrested and you will be locked up, simple as that.”

The Telegraph’s new documentary The War: Young Blood exposes the violent social media and “drill rap” culture fuelling teen violence from the city to the bush.

Linda Pridham’s son Lachlan Andrews, 17, was stabbed to death during a brawl in the town of Casino in May, where he had been working as a tradie.

“They are fighting in gangs now and they don’t realise what they’re doing … there’s so many lives ruined now,” Ms Pridham said.

Sydney rapper and street gang veteran Big Kash – aka John Lavulo – who was shot in the neck two years ago said: “Everyone’s carrying a blade these days.

“You’ve got 12-year-olds online showing their blades.”

Juvenile detention officer Gino DiCandilo said: “They do seem to get younger and younger.

Sydney rapper John Lavulo, aka Big Kash, has experienced street violence first-hand. He says knives on the streets is a growing issue.

“Primary school age I suppose is when the older guys start using them, because if the younger ones get into trouble they don’t get locked up … once a kid turns 18, if he’s got a brother that’s 12 he’ll use his brother to start doing crime.”

Police said they were increasingly worried about violence in schools, particularly in postcode gang hot spots like Mt Druitt where sources said they were regularly called to Chifley College which sits at the crossroads of gangs like OneFour, RFA and Lf70.

“What you’ve got there is a coming together of high schools from Mt Druitt, Bidwill, Shalvey and that area, and essentially changing the name (of the school),” the source said.

“But at the heart of it you‘ve still got high schools from rival areas, so teens have affiliations to gangs and will come to school with weapons ready to fight.”

An education department spokesman said “teachers and staff are aware of their community activity off the College grounds. We continue to work closely with all relevant agencies, including NSW Police, to address behaviour.”

Over the past five years, 3755 young people aged 15 and under have been refused bail, reflecting the severity of cases involving children. Seven of those refused bail were aged just 10.

Sentencing statistics show the number of children actually found guilty in court of possessing a weapon was 21 in 2021/22, its highest number in five years and an increase of 50 per cent compared to two years ago.

In one three-day operation targeting youths with knives this month, police in Sydney charged 144 people and seized 48 knives and six firearms.

The horrific stabbing death of 17-year-old Uati Faletolu at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show this year thrust the postcode wars into the political and media spotlight.

A 14-year-old and two 18-year-olds have been charged with the murder of the expectant father whose girlfriend has since given birth to a child who will never know his dad.

His death came after chilling footage surfaced of the fatal attack on 16-year-old Jason Galleghan who was allegedly lured to a Doonside home and bashed.

Uati Faletolu is the most well-known victim of the postcode gangs conflict following his stabbing death at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Tino Henry was stabbed to death outside Parramatta Station and is widely believed to be one of the first victims in the escalating Sydney gang war.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Leanne Mccusker said youth crime was trending down but youth violence was getting worse.

“We are certainly seeing an increase in regards to knife crime,” Assistant Commissioner Mccusker said.

Youths spoken to by The Daily Telegraph on the streets of Doonside where gangs stake a claim to the “2767” patch, said the postcode wars culture began in school.

“It’s what we grow up in … we didn’t choose it,” one of the teenagers said.

“We learnt the hard way growing up … It’s gone from being little kids, 67 and all that, to personal beefs.”

Two senior NSW police officers this year spent time with cops in the gang-ridden sections of Los Angeles and Chicago studying police tactics.

There are fears the bloodshed is being spurred on by aggressive “drill rap” music in which performers aligned to street gangs mock their rivals and boast about crimes in film clips posted to social media.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Leanne Mccusker says street gang violence is on the rise despite the best efforts of police.

There are fears the bloodshed is being spurred on by aggressive “drill rap” music in which performers aligned to street gangs mock their rivals and boast about crimes in film clips posted to social media.

Leading forensic psychiatrist Dr Rod Milton, who has worked on high-profile cases including backpacker serial killer Ivan Milat, said children and teenagers often aspired to do something with their lives but their only role models were parents mired in domestic violence at home or graphic fictionalised violence on TV and social media.

“The quantity of violence young people are visually exposed to is something that children have never faced in history,” Dr Milton said.

Big Kash said violence was a part of his upbringing.

“With Pacific Islanders, we grow up with household violence. It’s like normal to us. So then I turned to the street for validity looking to be accepted.”