Troubled teens involved with violent gangs would rather steal than work, according to police.

As Victoria is gripped with a surge in underage crime, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton hosted a summit to tackle youth offending.

The move comes amid a wave of violent crimes linked to the notorious Apex gang, who are made up predominantly of young Sudanese and Somali men.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said 'it's easier to steal than to work' for young Victorian criminals

Speaking with many young offenders, Mr Ashton says they struggle resisting the urge to re-offend.

'We are finding that we are arresting the same young people again and again and again...We're hearing it's easier for them to deal drugs than to deal with the bureaucracy of Centrelink,'

'For them it's easier to steal than to work' Mr Ashton said.

He also said disadvantaged youths reported finding it hard to get work.

Police have arrested more people, especially young teens, in the past 12 months than any other 12 months in the force's history.

On Thursday, they charged nine Apex gang members aged between 13-17 in connection with a home invasion where numerous cars were stolen in Melbourne's west.

Police have held a summit amid a wave of violent crimes linked to the notorious Apex gang (pictured: the gang during a riot at Moomba festival)

Police have arrested more people, especially young teens, in the past 12 months than any other 12 months in the force's history

WHO ARE THE APEX GANG? The group originated in Apex Street, Dandenong, about 30 kilometres south-west of Melbourne

The members are primarily from a Sudanese refugee background

The gang have been involved in a string of carjackings and home invasions in the Melbourne area

They are responsible for the Moomba riots in March

Thirteen teenagers were arrested this week relating to a series of crimes

They were aged between 13 and 17

The parents of members are so worried they are sending them back to Africa Advertisement

Apex shot to infamy in March after they were blamed for an infamous riot in Melbourne's CBD during the Moomba festival.

The gang has risen in line with a spike in serious crimes committed by youths, who are now bypassing petty crime for home invasions and carjackings, and re-offending more often, police say.

The situation has grown so bad that refugee parents have been sending their young children back to their war torn African home countries in hopes of keeping them away from a life of crime.

More than 200 community leaders, government officials and academics met at Thursday's summit to find ways to stop young offenders becoming career criminals.

Opening lines of communication to young offenders, finding new ways to rehabilitate rather than jail, and better resourcing of youth services were a few of the ideas floated.

Police charged nine Apex gang members this week aged between 13-17 in connection with a home invasion where numerous cars were stolen

Police are now scrambling to tackle the surge in underage crime across Victoria

Mr Ashton is now compiling a report of key issues and will hand it to the state government in the next few weeks.

Premier Daniel Andrews promised issues discussed at the summit would influence government policies through its Public Order Taskforce.

Flinders University Professor Mark Halsey discussed his 10-year study involving hundreds of interviews with jailed criminals, and said harsh punishments aren't a way to rehabilitate.

'You can't incarcerate your way out of the issue,' Professor Halsey said. 'They still go out and do exactly the same thing.'

He suggested Australia adopt an American-style program that sees former gang members or criminals become real life mentors to youths at risk of re-offending.