Organised crime in Sydney may seem like a rare occurrence, but behind the city’s peaceful exterior is a thriving criminal underworld! While Sydney crime figures have been dropping steadily for the past couple of years, there’s data (like the Campbelltown crime rate) that tell of a much larger problem facing New South Wales.
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The Criminal Sydney Underworld (And The Australian Families Of Crime)
Sydney crime families are a far cry from the gangsters and long trench coats we see on TV dramas. Most arrested gangsters over the years all looked like ordinary citizens. Your local builder, cashier, or your deli guy could all be criminals!
Sydney crime bosses, on the other hand, tend to look more like seasoned thugs. These guys are the cream of the crop when it comes to Australian crime bosses, overseeing and commanding people all across New South Wales. While the heart of their operations tends to remain in city centres, police investigations have shown that they manage operations all around the country.
What Type Of Organised Crime Are These Families/Gangs A Part Of?
There are two significant sources of crime in Sydney: money laundering and drugs.
Money laundering gangs take up most operations in the city, moving cash in and out of casinos and banks. Drugs are manufactured and brought in from the more rural parts on the outskirts of Sydney, often overseen by Western Sydney gangs.
The sharp increase in Sydney gang wars has shown police that the structure behind these families has changed. Previously, criminal gangs were ruled by one family or figure, similar to the Russian mafia.
But Sydney’s current underworld has fractured into several groups, all competing for control. While some gangs occasionally partner-up for mutual gain, they’re definitely not chums when it comes to their turf.
Who Are The Top Sydney Crime Bosses/Families?
It’s difficult to say who’s top dog in Sydney’s criminal underworld at any given moment. Most mob bosses don’t last long as they are taken out by rival gangs or police operations. And given the revolving trend of crime in the city, sometimes bosses lie low or act via a proxy, making the head figures hard to pin down.
But one thing’s for sure: foreign criminal investment in Sydney has largely replaced domestic gangs. While you still have the ordinary hooligans that populate the quieter parts of the metropolis (like the Bankstown gangs) most key players in Sydney’s gangs have all been funded by foreign criminals.
Who Are The Gangs In Sydney And What Areas Do They Operate In?
Most of the gangs in Sydney are often offshoots of bigger, foreign organisations. Asian gangs in Sydney are the most prominent members of the criminal underworld; they control most of the money laundering that goes on in the city, often in the heart of the urban areas.
On the other hand, Middle Eastern crime in Sydney has spiked lately because of the inflow of drugs from rural areas and abroad. According to the NSW Police, Lebanese crime families have started to corner the market on drug-dealing, causing them to clash with other gangs in the city.
Finally, the rural areas of Sydney are home to small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the bigger gangs in the city. While they may be smaller compared to their city counterparts, they’re also one of the more dangerous groups. And since their areas don’t have a lot of police presence, they act a lot more openly and get into turf wars quite often.
Should I Be Worried?
You might think all this talk is something to be concerned about, but don’t freak out about it! Sydney (and Australia in general) has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The rate of crime has steadily been reducing in the past 15 years, and Sydney is one of the safest cities in the country.
NSW has been the centre of an ongoing task force called Strike Force Taipan, which has made a lot of progress into stopping organised crime funded by international criminals. And while they’re still a long way off from completely getting gangs off the streets, they’re making a lot of progress.
The important thing to remember is to always report any suspicious activity to the authorities, and if a situation seems sketchy, stay away! A pinch of common sense goes a long way toward helping you stay safe.
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