African gang violence: Police can’t solve problem alone, Graham Ashton says

Victoria’s top cop says people are “looking in the wrong direction” if they expect police to clean up Melbourne’s gang problem.

Victoria’s Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton appears with African community leaders regarding the African gang crime issue earlier this month. Picture: Alex Coppel

Victoria’s top cop says people are “looking in the wrong direction” if they expect police to clean up the Melbourne’s gang problem.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who returned from leave this month to a politically charged debate on a spate of crimes linked to African youths, spoke this morning as a caller to radio station 3AW asked why police could not solve the gangs issue and protect Melburnians scared in their homes.

“If you’re looking for police to put it to bed, you’re looking in the wrong direction,” Mr Ashton replied.

“We’re locking ‘em up as many as we can … We’re responding more quickly than we’ve ever responded, we’re making more arrests than we’ve ever made in total so we’re doing plenty about it but you’re talking about bigger social issues than police (can) solve.

“Generally the social conditions that we’ve got out there are such that young people are out there looking for trouble.”

Mr Ashton spoke as police issued CCTV images of young women of African appearance, who are being sought in relation to two separate attacks on women travelling in an apartment building elevator.

A 24-year-old woman in the lift at a Southbank building was assaulted by the group when she tried to get onto her floor around 3.30am on New Year’s Day.

CCTV images of women police wish to speak to in relation to an assault in a lift on news years day in Melbourne. Picture: AAP

Police believe the same group attacked two other women in the lift about 2am the next morning.

Mr Ashton said the summer period had been a busy time for youth offending, with groups brought together through social media.

“We’ve certainly had a lot of young Africans, Australian kids offending as well (as) Islander kids, a lot of indigenous kids we’re getting as well,” he said.

He said he had visited the Ecoville estate in Tarneit — which has been trashed by thugs who use it as an informal hang out for drinking and troublemaking — twice last week, though not at night.

“I was a bit saddened,” he said.

“When you go around areas like that Ecoville, everyone’s got their blinds drawn and their curtains pulled.

“It was really noticeable to me … It just seemed like it was a bad way for people to be living.”

Mr Ashton also expressed support for tougher sentencing, saying police members were “very frustrated” by the level of repeat offenders.

Asked if he supported statutory minimum sentences, as proposed by the state Opposition for some serious crimes, he said: “In some cases I think we’ve got to send a message.”

“There’s a core of offenders that just offend and when they’re not inside in custody in the corrections system, they’re out there offending,” he said.