Melbourne youth gangs: Covid’s role in surge of gang violence

Youth leaders fear Covid may have played a part in the surge of gangs in Melbourne as young people lacking connection turn to violence.

Youth leaders fear Covid may have played a part in the surge of gangs in Melbourne as young people lacking connection turn to violence.

It comes after a horror weekend in the CBD saw two young men killed and others suffer serious knife-inflicted injuries.

Veteran youth worker and founder of the Les Twentyman Foundation, Les Twentyman, said the Covid pandemic had meant there had been a growing rate of young people disassociated from society.

“The primary driver is vulnerability. When kids are left vulnerable and disconnected from family and society, they are most at risk of turning to anti-social behaviour,” he said.

“Gangs prey on vulnerable young people, offering them a sense of protection and, at times, what can seem like a sense of family.”

He said one reason these youths seem to show no respect for the rule of law is because they believe no one cares for them.

“They have been cast out of society, so they have no respect for society’s rules,” he said.

Police have vowed to continue to reduce youth violence as attacks surge across the city after five young men were on Saturday arrested over the brutal stabbing of budding basketball player Alier Riak in Docklands last Sunday.

The arrests relate to an attack on a basketball rising star Mr Riak, a 23-year-old from Western Australia, who was set upon and killed in the early hours of Sunday, March 13 in Docklands.

Homicide investigators are also still investigating the stabbing murder of Declan Cutler, who was chased down by a group of men in a car in Reservoir in Melbourne’s inner-north at 2am on Sunday.

Alier Riak, 23, was killed and his brother was seriously injured after the pair were stabbed on Bourke Street about 3.20am on March 13, 2022.

Reservoir teenager Declan Cutler, 16, was fatally assaulted on Reservoir's Elizabeth St in the early hours of March 13, 2022.

Figures obtained from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency show the rate of offending by people aged between 10 and 24 has dropped by close to 20 per cent over the past decade.

Young men aged between 15-19 had the highest rate of criminal offences over the course of 2021 when compared to any other age group.

And worryingly, the proportion of crimes committed against a person, including assault, robbery, harassment and sexual offences, has increased, from 23.7 per cent in 2012 to 30.1 per cent in 2021.

These offences have remained steady over the past decade, with about 13,000 to 14,00 incidents reported against youths each year.

A Victoria Police spokesman said the events of last weekend were “tragic and completely unacceptable”, but added the level of knife violence that unfolded is not what police are seeing regularly.

“Police intelligence shows incidents involving offenders aged between 10-24 where a knife was used, threatened, or displayed towards another person have remained stable for the past three years,” he said.

“We have however seen young first time offenders more frequently committing serious and violent offences, whereas previously they would begin offending at a much lower level.”

He said police were well aware of the damage caused by youth gangs, and pointed to the success of Operation Alliance, which was launched in September 2020 to dismantle youth gangs.

“In 2021, Operation Alliance dismantled five youth gangs, arrested 512 youth gang members, detected 5361 offences, and remanded 290 offenders,” the spokesman said.

Recent operations from Operation Alliance have focused on the western and north western suburbs of Melbourne, arresting 66 individuals during a four-day blitz from February 25 to March 1.

Last year police revealed the worst levels of youth gang violence were observed in northwest and southeast Melbourne – identifying a “hardcore” group of about 150 youths ­responsible for the most serious acts.

Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent told the Herald Sun at the time gang rivalries accounted for a significant amount of the violence, with knives considered the “weapon of choice”.

“There have been large numbers of gang homicides, stabbings particularly. A lot of rival gang violence occurs,” Mr Nugent said.

“It’s tribalistic. The gangs end up as rivals for no reason and what will start as some angst will grow from each payback that occurs – and it escalates.”

Investigators have released an image of two males who may be able to assist with inquiries after three women were allegedly assaulted in Doveton. Picture: Victoria Police

Already this year, police have recorded significant cases of violence perpetrated by groups of youths, including a terrifying attack on three women on a Doveton bus.

One woman suffered a broken nose and a mild traumatic brain injury and the other two victims sustained bruising when they were allegedly set on by a group of eight males.

The alleged incident occurred on the 828 bus from Dandenong railway station to Box St around 7.40pm on Saturday, February 26.

Friends of Dylan Cutler, who was murdered at a house party on March 13, have blamed the death on gang violence, saying the 16-year-old had recently started “hanging out” with a group who had a rivalry with another.

It’s alleged he was separated from his friends and chased down by a group of men in a dark sedan about 2.30am before being left to bleed out on the street with stab wounds.

The Victoria Police spokesman said police would continue to show a “zero tolerance” approach to those who bring a knife to a fight.

“There are already a number of young people who have made that catastrophic, life changing decision over the weekend currently sitting in police custody and there will be more to come from the weekend’s incidents,” he said.

“The carriage or use of knives and weapons is an issue for the whole community to address. Police have been and will continue to work extensively with local community organisations, and local schools to address the prevalence of knives being carried by young people and highlight the associated dangers.”