Victorian gang violence: PM blames Daniel Andrews government

Malcolm Turnbull has blamed the Andrews Labor government for Victoria’s gang crime crisis, after ministers called for federal intervention.

The Apex tag was left in a house in Werribee, Victoria.

Malcolm Turnbull has blamed the Andrews Labor government for Victoria’s youth crime crisis, after the state’s federal cabinet ministers called for federal intervention following a spree of violent incidents involving African gangs.

Mr Turnbull said the federal government had boosted the capability of the Australian Federal Police, but that ultimately law and order was a state and territory responsibility.

“We are very concerned about the growing gang violence and lawlessness in Victoria and in particular in Melbourne,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is a failure of the Andrews government. It’s very important to understand that community policing is the role of the state government, or the territory government, and ... that’s their responsibility.

“The Australian Federal Police is a small and specialised police force that obviously deals with matters of particular federal responsibility, including terrorism. We also provide a considerable intelligence and technological support to state police forces in respect of gangs.

“But ... this is a failure of the Andrews government.”

Mr Turnbull said Victoria Police was a much larger organisation than the AFP, and required political leadership from the Victorian government to do its job.

“What is lacking is the political leadership and the determination on the part of Premier Andrews to ensure the great policemen and women of Victoria have the leadership, the direction, and the confidence of the government to get on with the job and tackle this gang problem on the streets of Melbourne and, indeed, throughout other parts of the state,” he said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt, who is from Victoria, said gang crime in the state was “clearly out of control”.

“We know that African gang crime in some areas in particular is clearly out of control and the failure is not the police, but the Premier,” he said.

Mr Hunt said Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy had a law and order plan.

“The solution is very clear — it’s Matthew Guy’s plan — and that is tough on drug crime, tough on gang crime, call it out for what it is, and tough sentencing laws and giving the police, Victorian police, the resources they need to do the job that they want to do.”

Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville yesterday defended the Andrews government’s record, saying anyone found guilty of a crime “regardless of their nationality” should expect “to feel the full force of the law”.

She said Victoria Police had referred 18 non-Australian citizens who committed crimes to the federal government for visa cancellation over the past year.