A team of fed-up residents have banded together to form a 3,000-strong vigilante group in response to violent youth crime in their neighbourhood.
Membership to Rochedale South Neighbourhood Crime Watchers has surged following a string of armed robberies in Brisbane’s south.
Founder Damion Douglass created the group six months ago after hearing a young boy had been mugged on his way home from school.
‘(We’re a) bunch of mums and dads that got together to patrol, if the police can’t I will,’ Mr Douglass told the Courier Mail.
Group members use a live chat to alert each other to the location of potential offenders and share CCTV of the balaclava-clad, machete-wielding individuals.
Brenda Owen shared a photo of a young man holding a fishing knife on her driveway 6.30am on Tuesday.
‘We are very sick of it… it’s just what Brisbane has become,’ she wrote.
Mr Douglass said some homeowners are unable to afford home security and called on the Queensland government to introduce a rebate for families in affected areas.
The over 3,000 members of the Rochedale South Neighbourhood Crime Watchers keep each other up to date in the live chat (pictured)
Group members share CCTV of alleged offenders on the live chat
Rochedale South Neighbourhood Crime Watchers was founded by Damion Douglass (pictured) in response to a wave of youth crime affecting Brisbane’s south
Police are still hunting those responsible for a string of robberies at homes in Rochedale South, Carindale, Eagleby, Underwood and Manly West.
It’s alleged the group, armed with knives and a crowbar, stole three cars, jewellery, electronics and threatened a woman across seven break-ins.
Southern Brisbane police district Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes said the the relentless wave of youth crime was ‘abhorrent’.
‘We have zero tolerance for anyone who seeks to jeopardise community safety or their feeling of safety,’ Acting Supt Holmes said.
‘I want the community to know that we have police operations underway focused on locating and arresting this group and disrupting any further offences that put our communities at risk.’
Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber defended the government’s ‘Making Queensland Safer Laws’ after it was suggested the spate of crimes indicated their ineffectiveness.
She called for Queenslanders to be patient in seeing the results of the new Adult Crime, Adult Time sentences – especially in reducing repeat offending.
‘We’ve been upfront with Queenslanders that it will take time for those laws to work through the system and take effect,’ Ms Gerber said.
