Core group of 244 young gang members driving state’s crime crisis

Crime data in one state paints a bleak picture of children and teens being arrested repeatedly for burglaries and joyriding.

A core group of 244 Victorian youth gang members repeatedly arrested in 2023 are driving spikes in aggravated home burglaries and car thefts.

Police released the state’s 2023 crime data on Thursday.

“Child offending remains a real challenge for police and significant driver of serious and violent crime in Victoria,” Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson said.

The 244 youth gang members were arrested more than three times each during the year. Included in this is 65 gang members arrested more than 10 times.

A police operation targeting burglars and car thieves led to about four arrests every day, “the vast majority children”, Mr Paterson said.

In 2023, Victoria recorded its highest rate of offending among 14 to 17-year-olds since 2009. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Overall child and youth offenders aged 10 to 24 were responsible for 47,511 incidents last year, an increase of 13.8 per cent year-on-year.

“Much of the child and youth offending we’re seeing is mindless and driven by the pursuit of notoriety or social media likes,” Mr Paterson said.

“When interviewed, offenders are telling us they will walk up and down a street until they find a door or window that is unlocked. Our intelligence supports this, with over half of all homes burgled in key hotspots unlocked.”

The average age of Melbourne’s 20 most prolific burglars and car thieves is 15 and they are responsible for more than 20 per cent of aggravated burglaries where a car is stolen, the data shows.

One-in-five child offenders are recidivists who commit three or more offences, the data shows. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brendan Beckett

Victoria Police is monitoring 620 known youth gang members across 43 youth gangs, a decrease of 127 gang members since 2020.

Children aged 10 to 13 committed 304 burglaries – down 14.8 per cent from 2022 but up 46.2 per cent from 2019.

Children aged 14 to 17 committed 2221 burglaries – up 55 per cent from 2022 and the highest number in the past five years, the data shows.

Police have found a 25 per cent increase in theft from retail store offences as being linked to cost-of-living pressures.

Broadly speaking, the overall crime rate is 2.3 per cent below pre-pandemic levels but 5.6 per cent up on last year relative to changes in population.

Police and Crime Prevention Minister Anthony Carbines said police were making more arrests than ever before. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

There was a decrease in non-family violence serious assaults as well as overall stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour offences

Family violence offending rose 2 per cent, and breaches of family violence orders went up 2.5 per cent.

The breach of family violence order figure is 16 per cent higher than 2019, which police attribute to “countless proactive checks on offenders and engagement with victims”.

Questioned on the figures on Thursday, Police and Crime Prevention Minister Anthony Carbines said police were working hard and making more arrests than ever before.

Youth offenders breaking bail conditions were of particular concern, Mr Carbines said.

He cited organised crime wealth confiscation, and firearm prohibition legislation as measures to address crime.

“There’s always more to do,” he said.