NSW organised crime: Two shootings in two days of innocent victims prompts major police crackdown

The deaths of two innocent people in two days has prompted a major crackdown on organised crime in New South Wales.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the “murder of two innocent people” would not be tolerated.

He said that over the past two days, the state had seen “Public-place shootings, murders, the theft of motor vehicles, and a range of matters”.

On Tuesday, 23-year-old Marco Tapia was shot dead during a home invasion at Glen Alpine.

On Wednesday, a man in his 40s died after he was shot at a home in Western Sydney.

Detective Superintendent Simon Glasser said the man’s home was associated with Sydney’s underworld, but the victim was not.

“People that are linked to this address are known to Sydney to organised crime,” he said.

“The victim has no links to organised crime that we are aware of.

“However, he is associated with people that reside at this address.”

In both cases, police are investigating the possibility that neither victim were the intended targets.

“Organised crime, at its heart, is about profit,” Mr Lanyon said.

“When groups are competing for profit, we see conflict.”

Mr Lanyon said law enforcement recognised the pattern of the recruitment of “young” and “inexperienced” people, often through encrypted communication.

He added that the crimes “won’t be tolerated”.

“We’re not going to accept it,” he said.

“I don’t want any family to go through the loss of a loved one.”

The Commissioner said technology was a focus for police and that more officers would be deployed to “provide additional reassurance to the public”.

He added that they were working with overseas partners as it is believed that a “large majority” of the organised crime offences were being orchestrated from abroad.

“I think we need to be real to say that what we are seeing at the moment is not the act of a genuine human,” he said.

“That disregard for human life, to shoot at people that are innocent or they’re not even certain other people they’re in a contest with, shows that they don’t care about that.”

He said it was clear that the perpetrators were “people that have very little experience... (who) have taken a job for very little money”.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley compared organised crime to “Whack-A-Mole”.

She said that since May last year 800 people had been arrested under Operation Falcon.

“Every time somebody is removed from the streets, another person is there - a vulnerable person is there, a young person is there - to put their hand up and replace them.

“It’s like Whack-A-Mole.

“It’s shocking. It’s despicable.”

Ms Catley said she did “not accept” that organised crime was “out of control” in the state.

“We will not surrender our streets to organised crime gangs,” she said.

“Not now, not ever.”

Acting NSW Premier Prue Car said organised crime was “complex”.

“It’s a terrible, tragic event when we have organised crime used as a model, going to young kids, basically, for small amounts of money on the Dark Web to commit murderous crimes and, in some caches, hit the wrong person,” she said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.