Apex St residents say their home is quiet and friendly
THIS Dandenong street has gained notoriety as the birthplace of a gang of young thugs linked to violent crimes and the Moomba riot. So what’s it really like?
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APEX St, Dandenong North, could be any other street in the outer suburbs — quiet, tidy, nondescript.
Yet it has now found itself thrust into the spotlight after being named as the birthplace of a gang of thugs that has been terrorising the southeast for months with a spree of violent crimes.
On March 12, the so-called Apex gang of predominantly South Sudanese youth grabbed national attention when it spread its brand of chaos to Melbourne’s CBD during Moomba celebrations.
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Three teenagers have been arrested and Premier Daniel Andrews has promised more will follow.
But Apex has long been on the local police radar, its members recently charged over a string of crimes including a fatal hit and run, car jackings, armed robberies and burglaries.
Police blame the gang for the southeast’s appalling crime statistics, released on Thursday, which show theft has jumped by 24 per cent in Casey and 39 per cent in Greater Dandenong.
Two weeks ago, Leader reported one female detective involved in recent Apex arrests had been threatened by members of the gang and had taken sick leave. It’s not surprising, then, that victims of the gang are now afraid to speak out, fearing they too could become new targets.
Apex residents say ‘no gangs here’
Megan Bailey
APEX St in Dandenong, the street whose name was made infamous following the Moomba riots on March 12, could be any other street in the outer suburbs.
It’s not a rich area by any stretch but many residents have pride of place. Some houses are neat and tidy and have gardens decorated with topiary trees and rose bushes, others are spartan with few shrubs or flowers and lawns that could use a trim.
There are new cars in some driveways and older cars in the others but aside from people coming and going for school runs and work the only foot traffic I see are two elderly people on electric scooters. People sitting under their verandas wave to their neighbours or people in passing cars.
Most of the residents I spoke to knew nothing about the gang named after the street, and say there were few problems in the area, even when its supposed ringleader lived down the road.
Wilma Ladgrove has lived on Apex St for 28 years and said she rarely felt unsafe or saw any trouble. She said she had not heard of the Apex gang until she saw the news on March 12.
“It’s very good there are no gangs; there was one family who were Sudanese but they moved out a while ago and they never caused any trouble,” she said.
“I would walk past their house each day with the dog and the little kids would be in the front yard and they would come and pat the dog.
“I like the area, it’s very friendly.
“Over the road — they are Afghans and they are beautiful people, just lovely — and I chat to the people next door and they are Vietnamese and they have been here for a few years with no problems.
“I think you can ask anyone in the street … I don’t think anyone has a problem.”
Ms Ladgrove said she was surprised when she was told the gang had taken its name from her street because one of its members lived there. She said the ringleaders should be locked up.
Another resident said it was scary knowing the Apex gang was out there but the fact that the gang shared a name with her street didn’t bother her.
“I know a couple of them (the gang members) indirectly,” she said.
“Knowing the main leader grew up just down there is sort of scary.
“It’s the sort of trouble we don’t need.”
Joy Polman said she had been in the street for 43 years and said cars speeding along Apex St were a bigger problem than gangs.
“Everyone is friendly enough but what I have noticed lately is cars flying up and down here,” she said.
“There was one time they had loud fireworks around the back here and there were really loud bangs and this was at about 12am.
“But it’s pretty safe generally.
“I just always make sure to lock my doors but no, we haven’t had any problems.”
Daniel Walker, a New Zealand native who moved to the area from Sydney 15 months ago, said he believed he knew where one of the gang members used to live but said there was no trouble in the street at the time.
“They used to live in a white brick house on the corner and then they moved out,” he said.
“It’s pretty quiet; I hear kids running up and down the street but I don’t think (they are in a gang).
“I noticed young guys were always hanging out at the park over there but they haven’t been there for a while.
“We haven’t had any trouble around here; it’s quiet, even at night it’s quiet and we do not get any problems.”
Who are the Apex gang?
n Formed about 18 months ago, taking its name from the Dandenong North street where its two Sudanese founding members lived
n Now has well in excess of 150 members, including caucasian, Pacific Islander, Maori, Afghan and Indian youth
n Used social media and contacts made in Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre to strengthen numbers
n Has been on police radar since a violent street brawl in Hampton Park last year
n Responsible for a spree of violence across the southeast, including car-jackings, aggravated burglaries, robberies and brawls
n Thirty gang members were arrested in recent months for robbery, assault and car theft
n Robbed, attacked and threatened crowds at Moomba celebrations in Federation Square
The victim
THE day after bringing their brand of terror to the streets of Melbourne during the Moomba riot, the southeast’s Apex gang is believed to have struck once more, on home-ground — despite the Premier’s promise of tough justice.
A security guard sat terrified in his car as thugs, thought to be members of the Apex gang, stole a prestige car from a householder at Sandhurst last Sunday night.
It’s the gang’s trademark crime — one that has driven their notoriety throughout the southeast.
Terrified residents of the up-market golf course estate on Thompsons Rd would not be named, telling Leader even the armed guard was too frightened to confront the thieves.
“He stayed in his car and called the police. But by the time they got there the thieves and the car, a Subaru WRX, were gone,” one man said.
“They got the car back, but it was stripped and burnt and dumped somewhere.
“I don’t blame him for not getting out of the car if he thought they were Apex. Who would?”
Police said they were unable to confirm if member of the Apex gang were responsible.
But regardless of whether they were involved, the incident serves to highlight the level of fear this group has spread through the southeast.
Suspected gang members arrested
POLICE swooped in the wake of the riot which marred Moomba celebrations on March 13, arresting two suspected members of the Apex gang in Dandenong two days later.
The 18-year-olds, from Noble Park and Dandenong, offered no resistance as Special Operations Group officers armed with automatic rifles pounced.
They were arrested about 2.30pm at the corner of Heatherton and Stud roads in Dandenong North — the heart of Apex’s home turf.
The two are being investigated for car-jackings.
Another teen gang member was arrested inside his Pakenham home at 10am Wednesday.
Leading Senior-Constable Paul Turner said the arrest of the 17-year-old was part “of the ongoing commitment toward dealing with violent gang-related offending seen across our suburbs in recent months”.
The teen appeared at a children’s court last week as part of an ongoing investigation into a series of alleged aggravated burglaries and car thefts.
Police allege the crimes took place in Melbourne’s southeastern and northwestern suburbs.
A parallel inquiry is looking into the gang’s involvement in the Moomba violence.
In a belated get-tough statement, Premier Daniel Andrews vowed to smash youth gangs.
It came after Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said more resources would be devoted to Taskforce Tense, set up in November to crack down on the Apex gang.