Police have ‘intel’ on 928 people linked to street and youth gangs
Police have made dozens of dramatic arrests as they swoop on street and youth gangs amid an alarming rise in crime.
Dozens of large knives and weapons have been seized during an operation targeting street gangs amid a concerning rise in youth crime across Sydney.
NSW Police launched Operation Waratah 5 in November, targeting gangs who were operating at or near transport hubs and other public spaces.
Police prior to the crackdown created a map that focused on almost 1000 troubled teens and young men aged from 14 to 24 and where they live in the city.
The data showed Western Sydney is a key hotspot for knife crime.
Officers from the State Crime Command’s Raptor Squad, Youth Command and Traffic and Highway Patrol Command focused much of their attention in suburbs such as Blacktown, Guildford, Wentworthville, Whalan and Willmot.
Get all the latest Australian news as it happens — download the news.com.au app direct to your phone.
During the operation, police identified hundreds of young people allegedly participating in anti-social gang behaviour, including carrying knives and other weapons, executing robberies and thefts, and threatening members of the public.
One kitchen knife seized by police was more than 30 centimetres long, photos showed, while blades of varying sizes were also confiscated during wanding operations.
Some were also caught with drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, police allege.
The intercept of alleged offenders led to some dramatic arrests, with police doorknocking homes early in the morning to catch them by surprise.
In one case, a 21-year-old man was arrested at his home in Preston and later charged with robbery while armed with dangerous weapon and participate criminal group contribute criminal activity. Police will allege he was involved in an armed robbery in Salamander Bay this year.
Police also arrested a 14-year-old girl who was charged with assault, theft and breach of bail after she allegedly assaulted a another girl, 13, at Sydenham train station in Sydney’s inner west last week.
It is alleged the younger girl’s phone was stolen. She was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital in a stable condition.
During another arrest, one man was seen pinned to the ground by a group of officers and handcuffed before he was led away.
NSW Police Superintendent Andrew Evans said they had intel on 982 people who were allegedly associated with, or had been a member of a street or youth gang.
He said it was important for police to be on the frontfoot, at a time when knife and youth crime was of particular concern to Sydneysiders.
“Recently we have seen tragic incidents play out on Sydney streets involving young people and knives. This is the exact violence we are trying to prevent by catching these kids early, taking their weapons and putting them before the courts,” he said.
“This proactive operation has resulted in hundreds of arrests for robberies, assaults, weapon possession and other offences which have increased the safety of our public transport network and communities.”
Supt Evans told The Daily Telegraph the crackdown will also involve trying to divert individuals, in the early stage of crime, away from gangs.
“We will proactively engage them and often their mother or father, parent or guardian, and offer them an opportunity to divert away from youth or gang crime,” he said.
“We do this through our Rise Up program, which is essentially a suite of programs developed to support young people in the community and divert them away from crime, provide them an opportunity they may not ordinarily have – which may be education, fitness or help with putting together a CV and targeting work for them.”
Knife crime has been a serious issue in the last five years.
Sydney’s “postcode wars” have seen fatal stabbings of people, including teens.
But Supt Evans said conflict had “transitioned” to the point where conflicts are solely based on “historic” incidents between gangs and certain individuals were carrying knives with the aim to kill or seriously injure rival groups.
Just last week, a 17-year-old died when he was stabbed in the thigh at Rouse Hill. A 15-year-old boy who handed himself in has been charged with murder.
The circumstances around the fatal incident are still being investigated.
Members of the public are encouraged to report any anti-social behaviour.
