Youth gangs use Instagram pages to boast about brawls, car theft and drugs in Melbourne
Social media pages created by Melbourne youth gangs are encouraging teens to submit footage of brawls, car theft and drug use, with videos revealing the brazen nature of their crimes. SEE FOOTAGE
South East
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Youth gangs have created dedicated social media pages to boast about terrorising Melbourne neighbourhoods, with reckless footage showing them stealing cars and wreaking havoc.
The Instagram pages titled melbournecrimes and burncitycrims, encourage young thugs to send through “any pictures or videos of fights, hot cars, money or anything to do with crime in Melbourne or Vic”.
The Leader has seen disturbing footage of them wreaking havoc including brawls and appearing to steal a Mercedes Benz.
The video, which was posted to Instagram on Tuesday morning, included the caption: “Watta steal”.
There is also footage of the teens recklessly speeding through Melbourne suburban streets and photos of them boasting about using guns and selling drugs.
Other videos show violent schoolyard brawls, youths smoking bongs and stacks of cash to brag about their “gang lifestyle”.
In one shocking brawl video filmed in Harmony Square in Dandenong, which is outside the council offices, a boy is slammed to the ground and kicked several times.
The Leader has seen police disperse gangs at the same location earlier this year, arresting one who was heavily intoxicated.
Casey Neighbourhood Watch president Rob Ward said the youths involved in these crime pages were showing a “total disregard of the law” and “sheer arrogance”.
“It’s brazen what they’re doing and they might think their actions are going undetected but police are aware of what’s going on,” Mr Ward said.
“Just because there’s no one on the street doesn’t mean we’re suddenly safe. People need to remain vigilant and should lock their doors and windows.”
Earlier this year, the Leader spoke with gang members including one who served time in prison and found dozens of Instagram accounts featuring teens waving guns and knives.
Most members were found to wear designer goods including Gucci messenger bags, high-end accessories and other brand names to show their “gangster” status.
Swinburne University criminology expert Associate Professor James Roffee said gang members could be lacking purpose and enjoyed the notoriety.
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“This is a very good example of young people wanting positive attention, which they may not receive at home and they could be struggling at school,” Assoc Prof Roffee said.
“Through social media they are getting thousands of likes for their bad behaviour and it’s up to platforms including Instagram to be more efficient at monitoring content such as brawls.”
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police knew groups of young people were often networked through social media and actively monitored these channels for any intelligence which may help prevent and detect crime in the community.
“We are confident we know the identities of the majority of young people involved in street gangs. Disrupting their criminal activity and holding offenders to account continues to be a priority for us,” the spokeswoman said.
“Police continue to have a highly visible presence in the community and proactively patrol high risk locations.
“Victoria Police is now able to issue on the spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals who fail to adhere to directives designed to slow the spread of coronavirus. Both indoor and outdoor gatherings are now limited to two persons only.”