Anti-youth crime laws to ban convicted teens from mixing with known gang members

CONVICTED juvenile criminals as young as 14 are to be barred from mixing with known gang members, or face jail time under a crackdown on youth crime.

EXCLUSIVE: Convicted juvenile criminals as young as 14 are to be barred from mixing with known gang members under a crackdown on youth crime.

The Andrews Government, under increasing pressure to deal with Victoria’s youth gangs crisis, is to expand bikie-busting anti-association laws to apply to teenage thugs who commit home invasions, armed robberies, carjackings, and other violent crimes.

Under the legislation, which is to be introduced in parliament on Tuesday, police officers of the rank of sergeant or above would be able to issue unlawful association notices to people as young as 14 who have a conviction for a serious crime.

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Convicted youths will be banned from associating with known gang members under new laws cracking down on juvenile crime.

Penalties for breaching the notices, which would preclude any kind of ­association, including contacts via phone or social media, could be up to three years’ jail.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said the new laws would thwart the development of criminal networks.

“These changes will help police prevent crime, as well as enforce it,” Ms Neville said.

“These laws form part of a suite of reforms and investments we’ve made that are already having a difference across our state, and getting the crime rate down,” she said.

It is expected that the bans would be applied to Apex and Menace To Society gang members partly responsible for a surge in violent home invasions, carjackings, bashings and smash-and-grabs. But they could be applied to any young criminal.

The Justice Legislation Amendment (Unlawful Association and Criminal Appeals) Bill 2018 will replace a 2016 scheme that applied only to people aged over 18.

The notorious Apex St in Dandenong North.

But no notice has ever been issued under that scheme, after police found the laws to be unworkable. The government believes this overhaul will fix the problems with the 2016 laws.

Police would be able to issue the bans to teenage thugs, bikie gang members, and org­anised crime figures.

But anti-association notices issued against children, Aboriginal people, or those with a cognitive, physical or mental health impairment would expire after 12 months, rather than the usual three years.

And they must be approved by a more senior police officer.

Attorney-General Martin Pakula said the strengthened anti-association laws would give “police the powers and resources they need to disrupt serious organised crime and keep the community safe”.

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The state Opposition has already promised similar anti-consorting laws for teenagers.

Under the Coalition plan, should it be elected in November, jail terms of up to two years would apply to any juv­eniles breaching the notices.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s plan would also allow teens with no criminal records to be banned from associating with known thugs.

The 2015 anti-association laws were touted as bikie-busting measures when they were introduced, but the Herald Sun revealed that they had not been used because the criteria did not apply to many of the intended targets.

The law allows a senior police officer to issue a notice to a person who has, at least once, “associated with an individual convicted of an applicable offence tried on indictment”. But those convicted after pleading guilty have never been “tried”.

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