Police tell warring crime clans: ‘We’re coming for you’
RELATIVES, friends and business associates of the Hamze and Alameddine clans have been warned to expect regular police visits and to be pulled over regularly in the wake of this week’s double homicide.
An additional 70 police will also be tasked with assisting the hundreds of Raptor Squad officers who have already been leading the crackdown on the two warring families since the feud erupted late last year.
The latest escalation saw Salim Hamze, 18, and his father Toufik Hamze, 64, gunned down as they left their home on Osgood St at Guildford, in Sydney‘s southwest, on Wednesday.
The promised police response began with the arrest of alleged high-ranking Alameddine associate Dawood Zakaria, 29, on Thursday night, after two shotguns were allegedly found at his home. There is no suggestion Zakaria was involved in Wednesday’s shootings.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said Zakaria would not be the last arrest.
“Yesterday I authorised the creation of 310 profiles,” Commissioner Smith said. “The people subject of those profiles can expect early mornings, not to be able to be together in the company of other people in a public place, and they better get used to being pulled over a lot. The 310 profiles include members of these two groups, key members we think are promoting the violence, family members and people we would call ‘professional facilitators’ assisting them. I won’t say who they are, but I can guarantee they are going to get a doorknock very soon.”
The deaths of Salim Hamze and his innocent father Toufik took the number of fatal shootings linked to the feud to eight.
South-West Metropolitan Region Commander Tony Cooke said the message to the Hamzes and Alameddines was simple: “You should be concerned, because we are coming for you, make no mistake. We have stopped many, many instances of this activity by reason of our ongoing actions, unfortunately (on) Wednesday one got through — we’ll continue our efforts to make sure that does not happen.”