Hundreds of gang members on youth crime watchlist

Specialist detectives tackling youth crime in Melbourne’s suburbs are making life “as difficult as possible” for the gangs behind recent bloodshed.

Police are monitoring 644 gang members on a statewide youth crime watchlist.

The scope of the street gang menace can be revealed after a spate of horrific ­attacks in Melbourne, including the murder of 18-year-old Hashim Mohamed at St Kilda a week ago.

Victoria Police figures show 280 recidivist offenders are causing the greatest problems, having committed multiple crimes this year.

Arrest figures for the force’s Operation Alliance back that view, showing 430 gang members have been ­arrested a combined 1351 times.

Those youths were hit with almost 3000 charges.

The statistics show 11.2 per cent of those arrested are ­remanded, meaning that ­almost nine in 10 get bail after being charged.

There were 84 youth gang “persons of interest” in adult prisons as of last Wednesday and another 42 locked up in youth justice centres.

Hashim Mohamad was fatally stabbed at a crowded St Kilda foreshore.

Those listed are up to 24 years old and have an average age of 18.

The youth crime issue has been in the spotlight in recent months after a series of brutal public incidents, some fatal.

As well as the Hashim ­Mohamed killing, thugs later linked to a gang stomped on a victim in a sickening onslaught in Carlton on November 19, Cranbourne man Kose Kose, 20, died in a stabbing in Bourke St on October 30, and Khalid Mahat was fatally wounded in a knife attack in West Heidelberg on October 16

A 15-year-old boy was stabbed last Monday by a group of intruders at his Brookfield home.

Some of the worst attacks have involved teenagers willing to travel long distances across Melbourne to commit violent acts.

Alliance has concentrated on knocking on doors to do bail compliance checks and saturating areas where gang members congregate.

Police believe an encouraging sign is that one third of those arrested in the year were not caught reoffending.

They are also pleased that, since Alliance started in 2020, the number of gang members overall has fallen by 103.

Police try to help Hashim ­Mohamed after he was attacked. Picture: 7News

Police believe 146 youths in the past year have severed ties with gangs and stopped offending.

Assistant Commissioner for northwest region Brett Curran said the force understood public concern when ­violence spilt on to the street.

Mr Curran said Alliance would continue to pursue, disrupt and dismantle the youth gangs behind the bloodshed.

“Our commitment to the community is to continue to make life as difficult as possible for those who commit ­serious and violent crime,” he said.

Mr Curran said Victoria Police would continue to work to break offending ­cycles and steer youths away from crime.

He said police would continue to co-operate with other agencies, including Corrections Victoria, the Children’s Court of Victoria, the Department of Education, the ­Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Youth Justice and community leaders, to intervene before it was too late.

“We are investing significant energy into intercepting young people who are yet to become firmly embedded within gangs as soon as they come on our radar, and ­diverting them to support agencies,” Mr Curran said.