‘They Swarmed Us’: Pro Baseballer’s Wake-Up Call on Youth Crime in Victoria

Former Australian pro baseball pitcher Earl Byrne still remembers the moment a youth gang swarmed him and his son outside their car in Truganina.

“There were about 10 of them,” the Eynesbury resident told The Epoch Times.

Now as youth crime incidents continue around Melbourne, Byrne is pushing legislators to overhaul current laws on bail and criminal accountability.

‘They Swarmed Us Outside My Car, Took My Phone’

The former Chicago Cubs-contracted pitcher, who made it to the Triple A level in the United States—below Major League Baseball—was physically at risk during a gang incident in the western Melbourne suburb.

“I was with my 22-year-old son, and it was just one of those things where they swarmed us,” he said.

“I was outside my car, and they just came and swarmed us. There were about 10 of them, and they went through my car.”

Byrne said the youths looked lost and needed direction to get their lives back on track.

“You look at them and you think they were scared kids, but there were too many. They took my phone, but the weird part is I ended up getting my phone back,” he said.

“It was found on the street, and some guy managed to get into my phone and get my number. I was lucky.”

Another Machete Incident

Another machete brawl incident, this time at Caroline Springs Shopping Centre on June 6, in Melbourne’s west, has spurred Byrne to call on authorities to do more.

Victoria Police said a group of between five and six males armed with knives were arguing inside CS Square that evening.

The centre went into lockdown as police arrived, and officers found the group had already fled the scene.

This came only 12 days after a pre-organised machete gang brawl occurred inside Northland Shopping Centre in Preston, which forced patrons to evacuate on May 25.

“Until they [lawmakers] bring a hard stance, nothing is going to change,” he said.

Victoria Police Arresting 9 Young Offenders Per Day

Victoria Police said they were doing everything they could to prevent violent youth crime.

“Victoria Police continues to hold our youngest offenders accountable,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“This includes almost 3,300 arrests made as part of operations Alliance and Trinity, which target serious and violent child and youth offending.

“We are arresting nine youth gang members, child burglars and underage car thieves in Victoria everyday. Our intelligence shows around 300 child and youth offenders are causing most of the harm.

“Police continue to target these people around the clock, with regular bail compliance checks and patrols of locations where they hang out and offend.”

Concerns Youths Have Nowhere to Go

Melton councillor for Jackwood Ward, Ashleigh Vandenberg, said Caroline Springs was a safe place and that increasing penalties would do little to help violent youths.

“Currently, the penalties for the machete violence is $47,000 or 2 years in prison. A hard on crime approach that makes it so incomprehensible for a child to understand as they’re unlikely to even be able to earn that amount,” she wrote on Facebook.

“Looking around our community we’ve created entire no go zones for youth. The obnoxious music, the lack of youth zones, lack of engagement. We’ve pushed youth to the last avenue where they are accepted or more so groomed. Social media,” she added.

“I’m not scared of my community or children. I also deal with them [youth] when they stab each other in hospital and us nurses have words with them. People just like to incite fear for political propaganda.”

Meanwhile, Byrne also said more money and resources were needed for teaching youth offenders practical life skills to help rehabilitate them.

“And I don’t believe in just throwing them in jail and forgetting about them. I believe there should be somewhere where we can put these kids and give them skills,” he said.

“Getting up at five o’clock in the morning, having their breakfast … they’re doing a day’s work wherever they’re put.”

Premier Promises Tougher Penalties for Youth Criminals

In March, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan vowed that her government would look to adopt a firmer approach towards violent youth criminals.

Re-offending is one of the key issues in the state, while overall offending has increased 16 percent in the past year.

Males in their mid-to-late teens make up the most alleged aggravated burglary offenders, with 64 percent under the age of 20.

Allan said her Tough Bail Laws Bill would lead to fewer people being allowed back on the streets.

“Under the tough new test, bail can’t be granted to someone who is accused of committing a serious offence if they are already on bail for a similarly serious offence–unless there is a ‘high degree of probability’ they will not re-offend,” she said.

“The Tough Bail Laws will jolt the system. They will create new offences, change what decision-makers consider, and create the toughest bail test ever for the worst offences.”

Victoria’s Shadow Minister for Police David Southwick said action was needed over discussion.

“Under Jacinta Allan’s leadership, we have become the nation’s crime capital, with burglaries, car thefts, and retail theft surging ahead of New South Wales. The only thriving industry in Victoria appears to be crime,” he said.