Inside the kiddie-crime gangs filled with wannabe gangsters as young as TWELVE who are behind a spate of luxury car thefts
- Brisbane teenagers are targeting the wealthy suburbs to steal luxury vehicles
- Police say thugs trawl neighbourhoods in the day to steal while residents are out
- Youth gangs thrive on the online adoration and notoriety from their petty crimes
- A string of Instagram pages showcase illicit drugs, cash and speeding joyrides
Youth gangs are posting their criminal activity on social media to brag about their brazen lifestyles.
Brisbane teenagers are targeting wealthy suburbs to steal luxury vehicles to showcase online and thrive off notoriety for their petty crimes.
Posts in a string of Instagram pages show teenagers joyriding in stolen cars travelling more than 200km/h, illegal drug use, weapons, huge sums of cash and thugs boasting about being 'gangsters'.
Police believe the thugs trawl through affluent neighbourhoods in working hours to target vehicles while their owners are away from home.
Brisbane youth gangs are posting pictures and footage online of their criminal exploits including high-speed joyrides in stolen luxury cars
Ashley was a victim of one of the youth gangs and had her black convertible Audi A3 stolen from her driveway on the Gold Coast in February.
'I live alone and it seriously destroyed my mental health for a few weeks and I found it really hard to get my life back on track,' Ashley told The Courier-Mail.
The thieves actions made a lasting impact on Ashley, who installed security cameras and sensor lights on her home in fear they would return.
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Data from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council found there are 39 cars stolen every day in Queensland.
Brisbane suburbs Eagle Farm and Slacks Creek recorded 119 and 98 stolen cars respectively in 2019.
Ashley believes the youth gangs are willing to break the law as the consequences for their actions are minimal.
A string of Instagram pages showcase the gangs illegal activities including illicit drugs and huge sums of cash
The thugs conceal their identities by using emojis and editing their images to cover their faces and vehicle registrations
The Northside and Southside gangs are both known to police, with some gang members as young as 12-years-old
'These kids have no fear as the government won’t do anything about it other than a slap on the wrist,' she said. 'The issue is that they’re committing adult crimes and therefore should be punished with consequences like adults.'
Children as young as 12 are getting drawn into the violent Northside and Southside gangs, with many being involved with police frequently.
The young men show off fast cars, jewellery and designer brands such as Versace on their social media pages and hide their identities behind balaclavas while editing their photos with emojis.
Queensland Police said the youths posting their criminal activity online makes it easier to find them and press charges.
'Offenders recording and live streaming themselves committing crimes presents opportunities for police to obtain evidence to identify offenders and prosecute them,' they said in a statement.
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