Police in Melbourne have been slammed for making no arrests after residents of the city’s north-west suburbs were terrorised by gangs of African youths who bragged “police can’t touch us” and branded frightened families “racist”.

Despite its sending dozens of armed officers in riot gear to Taylors Hill as more than 100 teenagers gathered “for war”, and telling residents to “stay inside and lock their doors” as rival gangs ran amok, police claimed there had been “no threat to community safety”.

According to The Age, there was a heavy police presence at the scene for several hours, including cavalry officers and a helicopter, with traffic diverted away from the area as gangs hurled rocks at authorities and law enforcement vehicles, smashing the window of a patrol car.

Local media heard police had said the youths had gathered “for war” as they told people to stay inside their homes, with one resident telling reporters: “They told me to stay inside, lock the doors and yeah, it’s scary, I’ve got a nine-year-old and an 11-year-old and they’re scared.”

Another Taylors Hill local described youths threatening his family, asking “what are you looking at, you white trash” before warning him not to be shocked if they decided to “raid” his home, and he added that the group seemed completely unafraid of police in the area.

An organised fight between two groups of youths turned to mayhem in Taylors Hill with riot police called to control dozens of youths running wild. @msanto92 #9News pic.twitter.com/y1Su4uewLX

— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) August 9, 2018