Pete39

Hi,
Our family including 2 young kids are preparing for a move to Melbourne from UK but I have been made aware only just in the last couple of days of growing problems with car jackings, nighttime home raids and general Sudanese gang violence in more than one suburb of the city. Having watched now some very depressing news clips on YouTube, I am seriously re-considering our migration. Has anyone had firsthand experience of these gangs or is it being blown out of proportion? Is it prevalent in other Aus cities or is it a Melbourne thing?

Pollyana

Its a first world city with first world issues. No more trouble than Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast etc. Read the threads on here about Melbourne and change your viewing habits!

Pete39

Hi Pollyana,
I do don't worry - on here every single day gathering knowledge from all you helpful people! Most of the time I am excited about our new adventure but having watched these clips I feel quite depressed. I am not one of these people expecting Aus to be a utopia - I am a realist, but if it means putting my family at risk from violence that they might not be exposed to here. - it's a worry.

Japonica

We live in the outer east, have been here almost two years, and the most we've run into is people drinking in the park after dark and fighting with each other.

I see the same media reports as you as it ends up on the news every night and you'll notice that they tend to occur mostly in the same suburbs (not naming any, but you'll notice a pattern).

Given the media reports about recent events in Europe, we might think that is an unsafe place to live as well.

Beoz

You are probably right to cancel the move. You don't want to kids knocking around with such evil.

Pete39

Thanks for your advice but are you being flippant about my concerns for the safety of my family?

Beoz

I am being flippant. You will be fine.

ozzieeagle

It's a spike, that's all, it'll be over in 18 months to 2 years. This gang and some copy cat gangs are different in that it does home invasions, car jackings and robberies. Your every day gang, that most Cities here and around the world have are far more likely to be a problem to your kids as they usually target others in their age group.

South London 40 years ago, from where I hail, was a far more dangerous place than the worst part of Melbourne today IMO.

One thing though, you will encounter far more drug culture here, which is a totally different issue than what I know of exists in the UK..... especially in country towns.

A

skinnygeorge

I must admit in the first few years I was worried about what was happening on our doorstep as it were. But the reality is any major city in the UK has exactly the same things daily. In the urban sprawl you don't think of it in the same way. But it happens. And just like anywhere you do not have to be a victim. Lock doors!. Its hot but do not sleep with a window open unless it has bars or Crimsafe screen. Car doors normally autolock once you start off if not do it yourself. see whats going on around you. You do not have to be paranoid just aware of your surroundings. Social media has a lot to answer for. We have a world so scared for our children and those strangers when most are assaulted by trusted friends and family. There is a growing drug problem, I think if they had been a little more lax on people smoking weed things may not be so bad now. But the dealers see it as may as well get hung for stealing a sheep than a lamb. More profit from a highly addictive substance that is ICE. Drives what were once normal law abiding people into jobless, useless thieves. A glance at the face and you`ll know to steer clear. Id rather raise a young family here than the UK no question.

evets

Pete, not sure what part of the UK you are coming from. But having lived in Glasgow and all around London. Melbourne is very very safe. There have been a few incidents lately as you have noted, but on the whole these are very minor and have been generally one offs.

The Sudanese gang violence and I think you have found it was with the Pacific Islanders. I believe was a one off and did attract a lot of media attention. Other stuff I have heard off has been related to Indian immigrants and Chinese, mostly racist attacks but I have not seen/heard of anything in the news of late. You still have the late night drunken violence, same for any city I suspect but they have cracked down on it in Sydney. Not sure how long before they implement the same regime in Melbourne, if ever. Australia is a bit of a nanny state.

I live SE Melbourne and probably on the what I would class as the worst 2 rail lines but have not encountered any problems.

When I left E London, the high schools where starting to implement metal detectors, similar to America. I have not heard of anything like that in Melbourne.

I see plenty of signs around my suburb to be aware of car breakins, but have not actually seen any car that has been broken into.

Honestly, I think you are over thinking it.

jad n rich

Yes depends what you are comparing it too.

Not at all sure that the bad stuff is isolated to the west/poor/particuarly ethnic suburbs. Was in Richmond today, Multi million dollar house suburb if OP does not know it. Two smack heads got on tram, tried to grab some terrified Chinese girls luxury bag as they got off. Another totally zombied druggie was trying to wash the trams windows weaving in and out of cars, how the hell he was not run down I dont know. Loads of drugs here, and therefor a fair bit of crime. My kids hate being offered it all the time, when first in melb, it was every time they went out. Ones a student paramedic, sees it all, no way is it just the rough burbs.

Home invasions have been in multi million buck burbs too, east malvern as an eg , another pricey place to live. Up near Tullamarine, houses round us go 900,000+ now, the unit next to us got done the night we moved in, nice 2 am welcome . On sunday, sons girlfriends moped in security carpark of their complex, in Kensington, was attempted stolen, they could not start it so they trashed it, its pointless and now in melbournes varied !! weather she has to pushbike to work daily.

But you dont stop me going places or doing anything really. Well not in daytime, we shop in the wild west vietnamese suburbs, love the markets, and food, go there all the time. Nothing has happened to me there, but out Greensborough way I was in Service station that was robbed just after I left.

Worse place I have been is Chapel street, OMG, that is a cesspit of humanity, and St Kilda at night can be dodgy.

One thing I do notice is visitors we have, always comment on the amount of homeless, and the dirty bits of the city, but I think living here you just get used to it. You see the scungey bits then can turn a corner in the city and see absolutely wonderful historic buildings, trees and parks and it all blends in, like any big city, usually a huge mix of people and places.

I really doubt any city is going to be some peaceful crime free haven.

quoll

The slightly aggro (and in one case very aggro) beggars were a surprise to me a few years ago - there were plenty of them then and I guess they haven't disappeared in that time. I think there is quite a bit of downplaying of the carjacking and home invasions - some of them look particularly bloody - because it is not PC to identify those who may be doing it.

The drug stuff is more worrying - my niece is a paramedic student too and she sees a lot!

Bermudashorts

It is Australia not Afghanistan. Another first world, westernised country. The crime rates for Australia and UK are virtually identical. Melbourne is the pig ugliest city I can think of but I would not be fretting over crime.

ozzieeagle

The home invasions are split into two..... one is Apex gang members (who contrary to belief aren't all Sudanese) and copy cats.... The copy cats are quite likely to be white. The second lot are drug related, rip off, pay back, debit collecting, on places where there are stashes of money, drugs, or people that owe them money.

Car jacking is performed by the gangs to obtain cars for robberies, although there is high end car jacking for parts or by order and those again are likely to be by white people.

In fact, I shouldn't say this, The Part timer girl I work with and she is a lovely girl, her brother was into high end car stealing and she has been arrested as an accessory after the fact, much to everyone's complete amazement and stood down from post, whilst awaiting trial.... stymying my current bloody redundancy package... So I'm not exactly unaffected or too happy about the situation at present. She carries the knowledge at post to organise things the old way in our section and because she is not there at present, I have to stay on in the interim

I can go further re the gangs, two of the younger blokes went to a relatively high achieving school with my son at Fitzroy, which is a bit out of the way for them, as it's a south eastern based gang....both born here. Quite lovely young blokes when I've seen them and obviously going through a phase. My son talks to them still whilst they are around the rest of the bods, in the city, with no issues. There are a fair number of white kids in the Apex Gang. He reckons they were soft and quiet when at school.... isn't that always the way.

Pete39

Thanks to all that have commented. I am still reading your replies with interest and may have to get my head around the fact that city life any where in the world comes with it's issues. In answer, I live in a small town / large village on the Wiltshire and Berkshire border, so although of course there is crime and drugs even in our small community, I don't ever come in to contact with it directly.