Peter Dutton threatens to deport African gang members

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says Victorians are afraid to leave their homes due to the rise of African street gangs.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says he will consider deporting African gang members if they are on temporary visas. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has said Victorian residents are too frightened to leave their homes to go out for dinner, as the state grapples with an African street gang problem.

Mr Dutton said the Victorian Government had been caught “flat-footed” by an outbreak of gang violence over December, and that residents have lost their sense of public safety.

“People don’t see this in NSW, in Queensland, but the reality is people are scared to go out at restaurants of a night time because they’re followed home by these gangs, home invasions, and cars are stolen,” Mr Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB on Wednesday.

He attacked Premier Daniel Andrews for “going soft” on gang violence and youth offending, and also lambasted the judiciary for handing out soft sentences for harsh crimes.

“I’ve said for a long time we need to respect the judiciary, but in the end the magistrates at a state level are appointed by the state premiers,” Mr Dutton said.

“And if they’re employing civil libertarians and people who won’t put in place proper deterrents — well, you can expect the sort of outcomes we’ve seen in Victoria.”

Dutton also insisted the police have a greater role to play.

“The police are given direction from the Premier and the state government down there which is really a ‘go soft’ message, it’s unacceptable,” Mr Dutton said.

The comments come as federal MPs pressure the Victorian Government to clamp down on crime allegedly perpetrated by teenagers and young adults from migrant and refugee communities in the city’s fringe suburbs.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called out the Andrews government on Monday for failing to address growing lawlessness throughout the state, even as Victoria Police and the Police Minister say they are dedicating more resources to the issue.

Mr Dutton said there was still a “long way to run in this debate” and called out federal opposition leader Bill Shorten for not taking a more active role in the issue playing out in his home state.

He also promised to examine the residency status of thugs who are caught offending when they are on temporary visas.

“We need to weed out people who have done the wrong thing, deport them where we can,” Mr Dutton said.

“If people aren’t prepared to integrate ... frankly, they don’t belong in Australian society.”

With AAP