Helping a teen escape the grip of his gang

Police at Westgate Proactive Policing Unit (PPU) are well acquainted with the challenges of youth gang activity taking place in their part of the state, and right across Victoria.

In the past year, the work of Victoria Police’s youth gang-focused initiative, Operation Alliance, has led to the arrest of 465 youth gang members a combined 1447 times.

And there’s almost 600 gang members, across 33 youth gangs, currently being actively monitored by Victoria Police.

But when Westgate PPU members managed to cut through to one of the most hardened young gang members they’d come across, their hard slog was made worthwhile.

A key component of their success with youth gang member Adam* was the constant presence of youth worker, Tracie Alborough, at each of his encounters with police.

Ms Alborough is a team leader with Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS)(opens in a new window), a community organisation which works alongside Victoria Police as part of the Embedded Youth Outreach Program (EYOP).

“Adam was raised with a distrust of police and authority in general due to his parents being incarcerated throughout his life,” Ms Alborough said.

“During our interactions with Adam, it became apparent that he had experienced significant childhood trauma and been exposed to parental substance abuse, poor parental mental health and parental offending behaviour.

“When we first met him, Adam was 11 years old and a victim of crime after he and two friends were robbed by a group of armed young gang members.

“I think that’s probably what led him to joining a gang – to feel some protection.”

By 12, Adam had his first encounter with police as an offender after being caught for shoplifting.

Throughout his early teens, his list of offences grew to include assault, armed robbery, affray, using telecommunications to harass, theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated burglary and family violence.

Building a relationship

Westgate PPU Leading Senior Constable Rodan Smith said police became well acquainted with Adam.

“When I first met Adam, he was a very angry young man. His family history and upbringing were full of chaos and trauma.

“For a period of time we were seeing him every few weeks.

“Many would pass him off as a lost cause and were convinced that Adam would spend the rest of his life in prison.

“But when you work EYOP shifts with the amazing youth workers, you know there’s more to these kids than their offences. And the more EYOP engaged with Adam, the more we could see who he really was.”

EYOP is run by Victoria Police in partnership with youth workers with the aim of reducing youth offending. The program is currently being run in collaboration with YSAS and Anglicare Victoria in Werribee, Caroline Springs, Dandenong and Shepparton areas.

By engaging with young people at the time of an incident, EYOP can assess their needs and provide appropriate referrals to help reduce the risk of long-term involvement in the criminal justice system.

“When we first saw him, he’d shrug us off and say, ‘Thanks but I don’t need any support, I’m fine’,” Ms Alborough said.

“But Adam really needed people to believe in him.

“The turning point for him was from us just consistently showing up, telling him he was better than this, telling him he had potential.

“And you could see him puff up a little because he’s not hearing that from anyone else in his life.

“Over the next couple of times we saw him, I started to make deals with him and said, ‘If I see you again, you’re going to accept support’, and he agreed.

“So, when I saw him again, thankfully, he upheld his end of the deal.”

Ending a career of crime

Ldg Sen Const Smith recalls the difficulties Adam experienced distancing himself from the gang and making better choices, now that he had a team to support him.

“I remember one interaction with Adam where he asked to wear an ankle monitor so we could track him,” Ldg Sen Const Smith said.

“He was desperate to stop offending but didn’t have the resources, and we know it’s not easy to say no to a gang.”

The members worked with Adam to make safety plans, giving him ways to reduce offending.

With this lifeline, Adam would reach out to the team when he was in a risky position he couldn’t get out of.

With trust earned, Ms Alborough said Adam increasingly turned to EYOP to distance himself from his young career of crime.

“It was a really hard journey with him,” she said.

“He lost people to gang violence and motor vehicle accidents.

“He had the gang mentality that they look after each other and don’t need anyone else.

“But I think we became familiar and safe people for him.

“There were slip ups but, over time as he grew up, he engaged with the services and took up all the supports we offered.”

Adam was introduced to a youth worker who became a go-to for support in returning to education, gaining employment, mentorship and dealing with family issues at home.

Adam’s new life is testament to the supports that carried him through his teen years.

“He moved away from his family, which was the best thing for him,” Ms Alborough said.

“He now lives independently, has had a stable relationship for 12 months and works full time. He’s been doing great.

“And he hasn’t been in trouble with police for about two years.

Ldg Sen Const Smith said stories like Adam’s make him even more determined to drive positive change.

“I have been working here as a youth specialist officer for eight years and have met hundreds of young people who are offending.

“Having a good outcome with someone like Adam keeps me motivated to get the same outcome for all the young people I meet in this role.”

To find out more about how Victoria Police engages with youths visit Embedded Youth Outreach Program (EYOP).

*Name protected for privacy.

Editorial Sarah Larsen
Photography Olivia White

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