p>em>Melbourne Under Siege/em> is an explosive book that captures the crimes that have Melbourne feeling shocked to their core and the traditionally sedate city of Melbourne has often found herself in the national and international news for all the wrong reasons./p> p>During the ensuing media firestorm, there was not only relentless reporting on the terrifying lsquo;Apex-likersquo; crimes, but the furore also soon morphed into emotional debates about youth crime in general, putting the anti-social activities of other alleged gangs such as the lsquo;YCWrsquo; (Young Crucified Warriors), lsquo;Islander 23rsquo; and lsquo;MTSrsquo; (Menace to Society) under the public spotlight./p> p>This book covers the crimes and the levels of of violence, randomness and brazenness ndash; home invasions, car jackings, assaults, personal thefts, shop smash and grabs, vandalism and public brawls./p> p>It also discusses the police and government involvement and weighs in on the justice system and the background of these gangs and their crimes.These offenders may be a minority, but they are a minority that need to be addressed and stopped./p> p>Unsurprisingly, the response to the youth gang problems have been extremely controversial and varied. Complex questions about the interpretation of crime statistics, justice, education and assimilation are inevitably raised./p>