Mr Andrews said discussions about the causes of and response to the rampage shouldn't focus on an individual's disadvantages or tough lot in life. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp at a media conference about the gang violence that hit Melbourne on Saturday night. Credit:Penny Stephens "Let's not have this as some sort of excuse," he said. The Premier said he would not buy the "poor me" argument, saying all offenders had made the "evil choice" to engage in violent behaviour. "It does not matter who you are, your circumstances, your background, if you break the law you feel the full force of the law," Mr Andrews said.

"I'm not interested, and neither are Victorians, in these 'poor me' stories;. Nobody had to behave they way they did on Saturday night - they chose to." "There are a lot of people in Victoria who face challenges in their lives, there are a lot of people in Victoria who have some history of disadvantage, who have got troubles in their lives, but they don't behave like those on Saturday night," he said. "It is no excuse." Police have declared that Saturday's night violence was "a line in the sand" moment for the force, saying resources would be re-prioritised to tackle the problem.

The Premier also did not rule out tougher laws and penalties, or more resources for police if they needed it. "Victoria Police will have everything they need to smash these gangs," Mr Andrews said. The Premier praised the response from Melburnians to continue to turn up to Moomba on Sunday and Monday. Police are now scouring CCTV footage from the CBD on Saturday night. Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said police did not think the violence was between two gangs, rather the actions of a larger group trying to intimidate the public and stealing phones.

Police have been engaging with community leaders for some time. "There is frustration in some of the African communities, in terms of their young people and how they seem to be disengaged … from school, from their home, their faith if that is important to them," Mr Crisp said. Police will meet again on Monday afternoon to work out how to tackle the incident. Opposition minister for police and community safety Edward O'Donohue said officers regularly told him they were under-resourced with "enormous competing demands" for their time. Loading