The State Government's push to combat street gangs has taken a major step forward, with the passage of new laws to give police stronger powers to deal with the issue.
Under the new laws, Police will be able to respond to the threat of street gangs in a similar manner to that of outlaw bikie groups. The legislative scheme is designed to proactively disrupt the criminal activities of street gangs and divert people away from gang membership.
A court will be empowered to declare that a particular group is a street gang. The Commissioner of Police will be able to seek orders from the court in relation to individual street gang members, with both the Youth and Supreme Court able to impose conditions on members with tough penalties applying to anyone found in breach of those conditions.
The laws also create a new standalone offence for adults who recruit new members for street gangs, with higher penalties for gang members who recruit children.
The Government will now be working with both SA Police and the courts to bring the new laws into effect as soon as possible.
It comes in the same week the Government has introduced legislation to tighten provisions targeted at youths who repeatedly commit serious offences, with tougher penalties applying to them.
As put by Kyam Maher
It's essential Police have all the necessary powers at their disposal to tackle street gangs.
While these measures are modelled on existing anti-bikie laws, they have taken into account the differences in structure and membership to ensure that any action taken is both appropriate and effective.
The passage of these laws through Parliament are a significant step forward in our fight against this threat to community safety.
