A series of violent attacks on pedestrians walking along two Dandenong streets this week are being investigated by the taskforce set up to catch members of the Apex gang.
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Taskforce Tense was set up in November last year and as of April 28 had made 72 arrests of 62 individual offenders.Of the offenders, 27 are believed to be Apex members, a police spokeswoman said.
The Apex gang was linked to a brawl that shut down of parts of the Melbourne CBD in March. The group is named after the street in Dandenong where its founding members come from.
The taskforce, renamed Operation Cosmas, has now rolled out across Victoria, and includes regional crime teams.
Cosmas is investigating several violent robberies in Dandenong this week in which a number of people were injured.
Police were told a man was walking home on Mason Street about 5.25am on May 24 when he was approached by three men who demanded he hand over his valuables.
The victim attempted to run away but the three offenders chased him down and assaulted him, before stealing his bank card, mobile phone and money.
It's believed the same group of men were involved in two more incidents the next morning.
A man walking south on Thomas Street about 4.35am on May 25 was threatened by three men who demanded his wallet and phone.
When the victim refused, the offenders punched him in the face, police said, but he managed to get away.
About five minutes later, at 4.40am, another man walking south on Thomas Street was approached by two men armed with knuckle dusters. The offenders punched the victim in the face and head, and stole the victim's phone, some cash and a red and black backpack.
The three men are said to be of African appearance and investigators have released footage of two men they believe may assist with the investigation.
Operation Cosmas will continue to investigate Apex members, aggravated burglaries and car jackings.
"These teams within each region will be allocating additional resources to the operation which will aim to prevent, deter and investigate all aggravated burglaries and car jackings," the spokeswoman said.
"This builds on the significant work which has already been done in the regions, most notably our Southern Metropolitan and North West Metro regions."
A Thomas Street business owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said when he finished work late he would see people lurking around the car park behind the shop.
The business owner said he'd seen about six arrests out the front of the shop in the three years since he'd taken over the business.
"From what I understand there is a particular gang and I know they operate above the law but we haven't had any encounters with them on the street," he said.
"They've never hassled me, I just go about my own business."
"For a long time it's been a problem area, at one point it was really bad," he said.
"It's got a way to go, but I'd say overall the neighbourhood is getting a lot better."
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
