Australia's youth gang epidemic: Rival gangs post terrifying footage of street violence

Shocking footage has emerged online showing rival youth gangs in Sydney starting violent brawls in broad daylight.

Videos uploaded to YouTube show the extend of the violence in these brawls.

One video shows youths linked to the 21 District gang launching an assault on another group, outside Fairfield train station in Sydney.

The violent video was posted to YouTube earlier this month. The caption read "straight hands - no knifes like OneFour the dogs", which is a reference to the rival Mount Druitt gang.

A number of videos show young gang members involved in acts of violence in broad daylight, sometimes with a crowd cheering them on.

Nine young men are currently before the courts in relation to a brawl outside a Parramatta mall last month.

The Australian youth gangs have become so prevalent and violent they have led to the establishment of a police strike force that will focus on investigating the youth crime epidemic in Sydney's west and southwest areas.

Strike Force Imbala, set up three weeks ago, consists of 20 detectives and analysis experts.

"They are very much into the rap culture talking about (Los Angeles rival gangs) The Crips and Bloods and other violent groups," one officer told The Daily Telegraph.

"This is about being on the front foot and also letting these young members know if you want to be part of a gang you are going to be targeted for police attention."

Sydney rap group One Four has recently been gaining notoriety online with a song about street warfare.

The group, who shares its name with the Mount Druitt youth gang, has more than one million YouTube views since March.

The rap group are not gang members. They say the name comes from the year they were established.

"All characters in this music video are entirely fictional and are used for entertainment purposes only," a disclaimer on the YouTube video for their hit single states.

"The lyrical content should not be taken literally. The events that occur are purely symbolic — both artist and makers do not condone violence."

A strike force has been set up to address the issue. Photo / Seven