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Police and Community Responses to Youth Gangs Rob White ARCHIVED - Archiving Content ARCHIVÉE - Contenu archivé Archived Content Contenu archivé Information identified as archived is provided for L’information dont il est indiqué qu’elle est archivée reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It est fournie à des fins de référence, de recherche is not subject to the Government of Canada Web ou de tenue de documents. Elle n’est pas Standards and has not been altered or updated assujettie aux normes Web du gouvernement du since it was archived. Please contact us to request Canada et elle n’a pas été modifiée ou mise à jour a format other than those available. depuis son archivage. Pour obtenir cette information dans un autre format, veuillez communiquer avec nous. This document is archival in nature and is intended Le présent document a une valeur archivistique et for those who wish to consult archival documents fait partie des documents d’archives rendus made available from the collection of Public Safety disponibles par Sécurité publique Canada à ceux Canada. qui souhaitent consulter ces documents issus de sa collection. Some of these documents are available in only one official language. Translation, to be provided Certains de ces documents ne sont disponibles by Public Safety Canada, is available upon que dans une langue officielle. Sécurité publique request. Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. TRENDS & ISSUES in crime and criminal justice A U S T R A L I A N I N S T I T U T E O F C R I M I N O L O G Y No. 274 March 2004 Police and Community Responses to Youth Gangs Rob White Although there are no national data on youth gangs in Australia there is a perception that youth gangs are an emerging problem. This paper draws largely on overseas attempts to deal with gang related activity and the extent to which they have been successful. The most successful interventions have some combination of coercive and developmental measures. A key issue for both policy makers and practitioners is the weight given to particular measures within the context of an overall strategy. While for tactical purposes, coercive force may occasionally be necessary, positive approaches to gang issues also require developmental strategies and active community involvement. Toni Makkai Acting Director ISSN 0817-8542 ISBN 0 642 53832 8 There is a widespread public perception that ‘youth gangs’ are a major and growing problem in Australia. This perception is strengthened by media images of youth violence and anti-social youth group behaviour (Collins et al. 2000; Sercombe 1999). The perception is further ‘confirmed’ in frequent negative pronouncements by politicians about particular GPO Box 2944 youth groups, and by the introduction of measures such as anti-weapons legislation Canberra ACT 2601 (Lozusic 2003). Australia There is very little in the way of empirical data that tell us how many ‘gangs’ actually exist, who Tel: 02 6260 9221 belongs to them, and what they do. Research undertaken in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide Fax: 02 6260 9201 (White et al. 1999; Collins et al. 2000; Foote 1993) has provided some indication of the social dynamics of youth group formation, and the tensions and inequities associated with social marginalisation. Current research by members of the OzGang Research Network, of which the author is a member, will hopefully provide further qualitative and quantitative information about diverse youth group formations in the future. For a complete list and the full text of the papers Regardless of the ‘realities’ and ‘myths’ surrounding youth gangs in Australia today, three in the Trends and issues intervention issues nevertheless stand out. First, the perceptions that youth gangs exist and in crime and criminal are a danger to the community will almost inevitably generate action on the part of justice series, visit the authorities, regardless of what is happening at the grassroots level. Secondly, analysis AIC web site at: suggests that the political and economic conditions for potential growth in gang-related http://www.aic.gov.au behaviour presently exist, and that action is required now in order to forestall future problems (White et al. 1999; White 2002). Thirdly, the discourses of ‘gang’ have largely been racialised in most places around Australia, with ethnic minority youth the main subjects of such public discourses (Collins et al. 2000; Poynting, Noble & Tabar 2001; Disclaimer: This research White et al. 1999). These observations require that we be sensitive to the implicit and paper does not explicit social issues that inevitably accompany any consideration of police and community necessarily reflect the policy position of the responses to gang-related behaviour. Australian Government A U S T R A L I A N I N S T I T U T E O F C R I M I N O L O G Y The question is not whether anti-gang Police powers Weapons strategies should be developed (given The policing of gang-related behaviour The issue of weapons is prominent in that this is already occurring); rather, and of groups of young people any discussion of gangs and gang- what kinds of strategies look most perceived to be gang members can related behaviour. There are several promising and least harmful from the take many different forms. A variety of ways that this issues may be point of view of overall (and specific) intervention measures may therefore addressed: community relations and youth rights. be drawn upon for the purposes of • conduct community education A major source of consternation about gang suppression, regardless of campaigns to discourage young young people, and the key site where original intent. For instance, while the people from carrying offensive gang activity and youth group legislative basis for action varies from implements; formations occur, is the street. state to state, the general trend Dealing with gang formations and around Australia has been for police to • to enact and enforce laws that gang-related behaviour has generally be granted extensive powers in prohibit the carrying of offensive involved a combination of coercive and relation to young people (Blagg & weapons and that allow for the developmental approaches. These are Wilkie 1995; Mukherjee, Carcach & confiscation of knives that are used in varying ways, with differing Higgins 1997). These range from clearly being carried for unlawful emphasis and under changing casual use of ‘name-checks’ (asking purposes; circumstances (Cunneen & White 2002). young people their names and • assure young people in policy and practice, especially those who feel American evaluations of youth anti- addresses), ‘move-on’ powers (the vulnerable to attack from other gang programs (Howell 2000) have right to ask young people to move groups, that they will be protected indicated that the approaches deemed away from certain areas) and search for prohibited implements, through to by the police and therefore do not to be most effective from a law enhanced ability to take fingerprints need to arm themselves in self- enforcement perspective included: and bodily samples of young alleged defence; and (a) community collaboration offenders. • negotiate with communities about (information exchange or gang The removal of young people from the presence and place of weapons awareness education); public spaces has also been among young people and the (b) crime prevention activities accomplished through specific community generally, with a view to (modification of environments and legislative measures. In 1997 the discouraging parental approval and opportunities); and Children (Protection and Parental encouragement of weapon carrying. (c) suppression tactics (street sweeps). Responsibility) Act was proclaimed in How weapons issues are dealt with in Different approaches are seen to be New South Wales. The Act allows the practice has major implications for effective in chronic or long-standing police to remove young people under police-youth relations, and for 16 years of age from public places versus emerging or more recent gang consolidation of group identities. For without charge, if the police believe problem cities. Thus, for example, the example, as with similar cases that the young people are ‘at risk’ of provision of social opportunities is overseas, the lack of police protection committing an offence or of being seen to be more effective in places can lead some young people to adopt affected by a crime, are not under the with chronic gang problems, whereas the stance that ‘self-defence is no supervision or control of a responsible community mobilisation of resources offence’ and thus to arm themselves adult, or if it is believed the young to specifically address gang problems against racist attacks (Edwards, person is in danger of being physically is seen as the most effective way to Oakley & Carey 1987). Concern about harmed or injured, or abused. The Act deal with emerging gang problems does not specify the sort of offences the carrying of weapons not only (Howell 2000: 45). which might be committed; but if an justifies even more intense police offence were actually committed, the intervention, it feeds media distortions Gang suppression and police police would not be detaining the about the problem of ‘ethnic youth intervention young person under this Act. gangs’. Gang suppression takes a number of In the first six months of 1999, 145 The enforcement of anti-weapons laws different forms, from explicit anti-gang young people were removed from can affect large groups of young targeting by police through to adoption public places in the four local people in negative ways. For instance, of measures that, while not particularly government areas where the the Crimes Legislation Amendment linked to gang control, may have an legislation was operational. Of these, (Police and Public Safety) Act 1998 indirect impact upon gang activities. 90 per cent were Aboriginal children commenced in July 1998 in New (Chan & Cunneen 2000: 53).
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