Twenty venues around Melbourne have been attacked since February.
The wave of firebombings at Melbourne hospitality venues. Police cracked down on the crime days fire bombing Melbourne's clubs and bars, setting up a new task force to end Melbourne's hospitality wars before someone's killed. It's a scary time right now if you're a hospitality owner or someone who frequents night spots around Melbourne.
Right It's like we've thought twice about even like going out for a drink in some places recently. I'm like, I don't know, we go on to stay home.
So police right now looking into who exactly is pulling the strings. It points to organized crime. All these arson attacks are spaded them the CBT South Melbourne Paran. Twelve arrests have been made so far, So what's happening out there? Christine Hearn from The Today Show has some exclusive details on all this morning.
Chris, Good Morning, Morning guy.
Now, am I right in suggesting this all revolves around activity on encrypted apps? Yeah?
That's right. I mean I'll be going to a lot of these firebomb venues and talking to owners that didn't want to go on camera for obvious reasons, but they kind of told me the story behind it. They said that these kids go on the encrypted app signal and they described it to me. One owner described it to me as air tasker for criminals. So there's a list of jobs, say a job, you know, firebomb this venue.
They accept the job, they go and do it. Then they have to video it and you'll see on some of the CCTV the criminals are filming it because that is how they get paid. It's their proof. Then they go back and get paid by the crime gang.
That's crazy. So the gang members are pretty much using high and help young kids because they know if they don't want to get caught themselves, and b if juveniles get caught doing it, then they just get off pretty easy.
Correct, said Pawned. And the other thing, one owner was telling me that when these kids, sixteen year old kids get caught and police they will tell us who paid you honestly say, I don't know because it's all anonymous on this app.
Oh so Chris, is it safe for us to be going out at the moment?
Well, I can only go what police say, and police they continue as normal. However, be vigilant and I have to say, to give you an example, police are on it, particularly if you're out in Paran Sathierra. Because we were using the Emerson as a bit of a backdrop yesterday, which has been the subject of a drive by shooting. Clinton doon't away you'd.
Know it well.
And basically we pulled up my cameraman there was a cop right onto him as soon as he pulled up. Then an unmarked cop pulled up and wanted to know what he was doing. And then when I pulled up as well, another unmarked cop did a slow drive by.
But is this like in the early hours if you're doing it Today's Showcross or something. Is this at like five o'clock in the morning or.
Is this in the middle of No, this is four point thirty to five o'clock in the morning, pulling up in front of a venue like the Emerson which has been targeted. Yeah, we had police on to a straightaway just wanting to know what we were doing while we were there.
So Herna police are trying to get to the bottom of this. Why is this happening? Is it to do with some we've seen the tobacco wars erupt in Melbourne? Has this to do with some sort of bootleg grog. What is it?
I can only go on what I've been told. So police is saying that they're unable to identify any motivation. However, and the owners that I've spoken to, they have told me that the reason they're being targeted they've got no demands. They've been taught, they said to me, they have received
no demands from any kind of crime gang. However, one owner said to me that they believe the theory behind it is that this crime gang is sending a statement targeting these popular spots to send a statement to all venues in Melbourne that you better when the demands come, you better comply with us or else. And those demands are selling their bootleg alcohol, which like tobacco, does not have the Australian hack on it, which is more than half.
If you're looking at a bottle of vodka, it's the tax is more than hard.
Right, So you're talking booze that's illegally snuck into the country, not necessarily like made in Jimmy's backyard.
Correct. I asked that, because I obviously we're all concerned about you know what happened exactly, and he said, no, it is first of all stolen two ways, and I can only tell you what these owners are telling me stolen alcohol or alcohol that has been smuggled into the country not getting the tap.
Oh gosh, it's frightening is and it's also frightening that they're, you know, doing it when there's no customers in at the moment. But it's only amount of times in.
The Emerson the night when those shots.
Have many more details on that because the Emerson put out a statement saying it was Christine, do you know about that? They said it was it was a cap gun or something it was.
Yeah, they put out a statement saying it was blanks, but I have not got that information.
Wow.
Mum always said nothing good happens after midnight, Christine, especially not two of them.
Great, a lot of fun things happened, won't.
You said to the cops when they failed you up? Just so you're just picking up Quinn.
This is normal taxi service for.
I'm doing house parties.
Sees day Christina and from Channel Lines Today show. Thanks you for jumping on the sawning.
Christ You're the best.
Christine, see mate, it is just going twenty eight past six. It's good to be a cross if you are heading out around melbourne'll be aware of it's only warming up, all right. We're gonna check your round the work latest in years next here on over.
Jason Lauren Lauren wake up feeling good.
Follow them, I'm on the socials