FRUSTRATED with vandalism and abusive behaviour by youth in Alexandra Hills and Capalaba, residents hope that collectively they can have some influence.
Having raised their concerns on social media, Carla Brouwer and Emma Gillard had over 400 people join their Alex Hills/Capalaba Community Watch Facebook group in one day.
A week later there were more than 700 members, with some meeting in a local park on Sunday to talk about the problems and possible solutions.
Residents said they had experienced verbal altercations with groups of teenagers, motorbikes were being ridden on walkways in parks and sharps had been found in the park.
Teenagers were also reported to have been ‘playing chicken’ by not moving out of the path of cars on several streets in Alexandra Hills.
One resident said pieces of her hose pipe had been cut off about 10 times in a few weeks and she had been abused verbally by a teenager when she spoke to them and tried to video them.
Ms Gillard and Ms Brouwer said the Facebook group was formed to keep people aware of what was happening in the neighbourhood.
They said people should report incidents to police, but sharing information in the group would make others aware of what was happening.
Facilitating the meeting, Romana Saeheng said they wanted to help victims and support the teenagers who were responsible, together with their families.
An officer representing Capalaba police station said the presence of people in the park helped prevent crime and vandalism.
He said ensuring the park was well maintained encouraged people to visit the area and detered criminal behaviour.
Capalaba MP Don Brown, who attended the meeting, said it was great to see the community come together.
He said having a good relationship with neighbours helped to prevent crime.
