African crime gang ransacks Melbourne Officeworks stores
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...s/news-story/27c35aaa92ba7289aba05102687d72a5
- The Australian
- 12:00AM November 8, 2016
Melbourne’s ethnic crime wave has escalated, with a 15-strong gang ransacking three Officeworks stores and attempting to steal from a fourth.
The youths stole expensive headphones and computer equipment from the stores in Chadstone, South Yarra and Carnegie, in Melbourne’s southeast and east, before attempting to rob the Highett Officeworks in the southeast.
Inspector David Griffin said the youths, who appeared to be of African descent, were thought to be mostly teenage males. He described their offending as “brazen”.
Inspector Griffin said the offenders seemed proud of what they were doing, according to witness accounts, with one reporting the youths were waving stolen property above their heads as they left.
“It certainly appears they are not too bothered about being caught,” he said. “(They were) clearly very happy with what they have stolen.”
One witness to the South Yarra theft, named as Chris on radio 3AW, said the gang was confident and, although wearing hoodies, did not hide their identities.
“One did a little jig, a dance, in front of me,” he said. “They were happily ransacking the shelves.”
Youths of African heritage are being blamed for a series of crimes in recent months across the city, particularly car hijackings and break-and-enter offences.
Three males of African appearance staged a daylight robbery of a Toorak jewellery store two weeks ago, armed with a machete, gun and a hammer-like instrument.
They smashed jewellery cases and left after being refused access to the safe.
The Andrews government has been criticised for being soft on youth gangs. From April 1 last year to March 30 this year, 2773 youths aged between 10 and 17 received a caution or police warning, according to the Crime Statistics Agency. Cautions or warnings were issued 368 times for assault and related offences, 69 times for sexual offences and 1458 times for theft.
Inspector Griffin said the youths would feel the full force of the law when police caught them.
He said the gang probably used public transport and police were going through CCTV footage.
“We’re very confident that we will identify those people very quickly and have those people in custody in the not too distant future,” he said.
But he added that other Officeworks stores should be vigilant.
Inspector Griffin there was no suggestion the robberies were connected to organised crime.
Last financial year, theft offences — which did not involve the use of force, threat of force or violence — rose 19.2 per cent across Victoria from 151,834 to 180,988, according to the Crime Statistics Agency. Robberies rose 14.2 per cent across Victoria, from 2530 to 2888. Burglary or break-and-enter offences increased 12.6 per cent from 46,250 to 52,087.
African youth involved in this deserve absolutely no sympathy from the bleeding hearts
