Reality of knife crime laid bare as we join police at ‘postcode wars’ frontline on the streets in Mt Druitt
When two teenagers were stabbed to death at Blacktown within months of each other in late 2021, police knew they had to act. See firsthand what they’ve done as we take you inside their blitz on gangs and blades in Western Sydney.
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When two teenagers were stabbed to death within months of each other in late-2021, police knew they had to act.
The shocking deaths of Jason Galleghan at Doonside and Oliver Coleman at Blacktown were the sign that the postcode wars had arrived in Sydney’s west.
NSW Police responded by launching Operation Kella, which more than four years on continues to target knife crime and youth gangs.
Detective Inspector Glen Parks said it is no secret there are multiple factors that influence teenagers becoming involved in violence at a young age, including social media and rap music.
“Certainly social media dictates a lot of their behaviour and also what they see through drill (rap) music, promoting that type of lifestyle,” Det Insp Parks said.
“Through school and the associates they have, they then become involved in some of these activities.
“And while most kids are not violent, they might still carry a knife, and when they carry a knife, unfortunately, it gets to the point that if something does happen, a knife is available and someone may get hurt or killed.”
If you wanted an indication as to whether the response is working, one youth gang that has emerged recently goes by the name “OPK” - a reference to Operation Kella, and a clear sign that police are getting under their skin.
Known members of “OPK” and other postcode gangs will be issued banning notice from next month’s Royal Easter Show.
WATCH: The War: Young Blood - Inside Sydney’s postcode gang murders
It is a tactic that has been employed ever scene the fatal stabbing murder of Uati Faletolu at the show in 2022, and which has stopped a repeat attack since.
On a recent Thursday night, The Daily Telegraph was invited to join Det Insp Parks and his Operation Kella team as they took part in a two-night blitz in suburbs including Penrith, Mt Druitt, St Marys, Doonside and Lethbridge Park - home to some of the most-notorious postcode gangs in the city.
Officers begin their afternoon by stationing themselves at Mt Druitt train station, a busy interchange of school children, tradies and other workers making their way home.
At one point, three young schoolgirls walk past with their backpacks on.
“She had a knife on her the other week,” one of the officers says, pointing at a young teenager, dressed in a neat school uniform.
While a major focus of their work is interacting with and deterring young people from carrying knives and being involved in crime, teens are not the only targets of Operation Kella.
As the peak hour rush slows, the officers move to patrolling the suburban streets.
Soon enough they spot a man they know walking on a street in suburban Lethbridge Park, and who when an officer asks if he is carrying a knife, confirms he is.
“Yes, in my pocket,” the man says.
As the weapon is seized and he is handcuffed, and sat on the ground, police ask him why he has the weapon on him.
“For protection, it’s a rough area and obviously I’m walking with my girlfriend along the streets,” the man says.
“I would never walk around these streets without carrying a weapon on me... you’d be mad not to.”
When officers follow up by asking him if he has ever been stabbed, even with handcuffs on he manages to lift up his shirt to show them a scar that will be with him for life.
“I was about 16,” the man, now 36, said.
After being charged with having custody of a knife in a public place, the man was issued a notice to attend Mt Druitt Local Court on April 23, and released to continue walking the streets - only this time without protection.
The Operation Kella team then continue circling the streets and soon enough spot a group of men, many of them wearing black, gathered at the back of a shopping strip.
When they pull up, they quickly realise it is the members of rap group One Four - Spencer “Spenny” Magalogo, Dahcell “Celly” Ramos and Jerome “J-Emz” Misa - posing for a photoshoot in front of their ARIA awards.
At the same time, the majority of their enormous entourage pull out their phones and begin filming.
After close to 15 minutes and several extensive searches, police depart without any arrests of the band members or their entourage.
One of the most high-profile knife attacks in recent years was the fatal stabbing of Uati Faletolu at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2022.
Police allege that night, as Uati worked at the show, he spotted members of a rival postcode gang and a brawl ensued, during which one of those involved pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed him.
“I guess the thing is that knives are easily accessible, you can go into a kitchen and grab a knife, and we have kids who carry kitchen knives,” Det Insp Parks said.
“Knives are very accessible and unfortunately, sometimes these kids feel that they need to carry a full protection.”
Later that night, on a back street in nearby Shalvey, police notice four men standing on the roadside.
As they pull over they soon smell cannabis and stop to search the group, only to find one of the men - a 22-year-old man in a Kobe Bryant jersey - allegedly carrying a knife.
Whether it was for his own protection, or another reason, he is charged with having custody of a knife in a public place and adds himself to the list of those with a date at Mt Druitt Local Court on April 23.
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Originally published as Reality of knife crime laid bare as we join police at ‘postcode wars’ frontline on the streets in Mt Druitt
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