THE NSW Government has been forced to establish a taskforce on gang and teenage-related violence in schools after a string of scandals, particularly in Sydney’s southwest.

NSW Police Minister Michael Costa said yesterday the taskforce would bring together education officials and the police.

Alleged incidents causing concern include the firebombing of a deputy principal’s car, a student bringing a 9mm handgun to school and the alleged recruitment of students into a Red Dragon gang, one of several offshoots of the notorious 5T crime group.

At Cabramatta, a centre for heroin supply in Sydney, four out of five students were born overseas. There had long been concern that students were being recruited to sell the drugs on the streets because they were less likely to be busted by police and more likely to receive lenient sentences if they were.

Twelve months ago former detective Tim Priest told the NSW Parliament gangs had infiltrated southwestern Sydney schools. There are new claims that local high schools are being held to ransom by gangs.

Last week, disillusioned and bitter after the appointment of Cabramatta’s local Labor member for parliament, Reba Meagher, over his head, Mr Priest quit his new government adviser’s job.

Mr Costa conceded yesterday that Mr Priest’s advice was prescient.

Asked whether the spectre of gangs in schools had been raised before and ignored by the Government, Mr Costa said: “You’ll have to ask my predecessor about that.”

He said he had only become aware of the problem in the past fortnight.