Similar to criminal gangs in western urban centres such as Los Angeles, London, and Paris, criminal gangs emerged as a mechanism through which uneducated and unemployed urban youth in PNG sought a sense of self-worth and security by associating with others who share their deprivation.
In a country where betel nut, marijuana, and homebrew alcohol are widely accessible at an early age, these drugs are an often-cited contributor to the erratic behaviour of raskol gangs.
[1] Many PNG criminal law enforcement officials accept drunkenness as a legal defence in domestic violence cases.
[2] Over the years, raskol gang activities have evolved from opportunistic incidents of small scale theft or breaking and entering to more organised criminal activity including serving as middlemen in the marijuana trade both within PNG and between PNG and Australia, as well as becoming increasingly politicised as the instrument of various political powers.
The growth of squatter settlements in Lae and Port Moresby has led to a corresponding increase in the number and size of raskol gangs.