Family home targeted by group of teens armed with knives

The young gang are suspected to have broken into a home in the Brisbane suburb of Hamilton on the morning of April 27, where they stole a Lexus SUV as well as several items of luxury clothing and handbags.

The perpetrators then posted about their exploits on social media, sharing a video which showed the teenagers walking through the home with their weapons.

One of the residents of the home, who chose not to be named, said she’s still disturbed by what happened to her family, who were asleep upstairs at the time of the break in.

“It’s quite terrifying,” she said.

“It’s definitely not the act of a child to do that.

“I absolutely have run through scenarios where people have been stabbed, killed and that could have happened to myself, my grandma, my six-year-old brother, my parents.”

Police confirmed some members of the group are known offenders.

Retired police superintendent Jim Keough said while officers are doing their best to stop young criminals, the current legislation provides little to no deterrent.

“The adults, they know if you do the crime you’re doing the time,” he said.

“Here you’re going to do the crime and you’ll get a gameboy, a night in the watch house then back on the street.”

Results from the recently announced Taskforce Uniform Knot, which focuses on youth gangs, are yet to be released but police have expressed frustration over the regularity of these crimes.

“The taskforce is only as good as the legislation to keep these kids in line,” Mr Keough said.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli said the current approach to the youth justice system isn’t adequate.

“The only thing that ever changes is that it’s a different family that’s traumatised,” he said.

“It’s the same young thugs doing the same crime.”

The young victim of the Hamilton robbery also called for harsher penalties for underage criminals.

“They’re children wielding weapons, they’re children who are driving these cars they’re children who steal alcohol and they’re still being tried as children for their adult actions,” she said.

“I would like to see people that are taking adult actions to be given adult penalties.”