By Casey Neill
Apex Street residents are fed up with their Dandenong North home being linked to the car-stealing, home-invading teens striking across Melbourne.
“The Apex Gang has never been located in Dandenong,” Greater Dandenong Councillor Roz Blades declared at the Monday 23 January council meeting.
“I just think it’s important to say it in the chamber.”
That’s not quite correct, according to Victoria Police division three Superintendent Paul Hollowood.
“The name did have its origins from one of the residents in Apex Street who was a principal leader of a group of youths who described themselves as Apex,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it has developed into a colloquial use.”
Supt Hollowood said police preferred to use the term youth networked offender to describe “youths who commit crime in a manner often subscribed to Apex and a range of other individuals and groups”.
But this effort to disentangle Apex Street from the web of crimes spanning the state is too little, too late for its residents.
Cr Angela Long joined Cr Blades in rising to her feet at the meeting.
“I’ve lived at the top end of Apex Street for 45 years,” she said.
“We’ve never ever had any trouble in that street.”
The following day, she spoke to the Journal about how Apex Street residents had been inundated with national media crews chasing controversy.
Cr Long recalled one TV outlet filming a resident before asking her permission.
“I am very disappointed with national media that we always get targeted,” she said.
“Any youth crime, they always say it’s the Apex Gang.
“We’ve had no trouble here.
“We’re sick of being caught up in it.
“I think they should really look into where these people are coming from and don’t link them with us at all.
“They don’t come from here.”
“Greater Dandenong is a great place to live in.
“If I thought it was a risk to live here, would I stay? No.”
Cr Long welcomed news this month that several convicted Apex members born overseas had been deported.
“I think it’s a great idea that if they’re not Australian citizens that they are being deported,” she said.
“I think we have to get very hard on these sorts of crimes.
“They go into people’s houses, terrorising people for minimal gain.
“Especially the elderly, I feel so sorry for the elderly.
“This should be a country where you should feel safe all the time.”
