Young gang members seeking to make a name for themselves may be fuelling a spate of violent "retaliatory" attacks in Ipswich this summer, police say.

This summer the town has seen a series of targeted "tit for tat" attacks. Many of these have seen a group of young men wearing masks attack a person in a rival gang with a machete before disappearing.

In May, in Hawthorn Drive, in Chantry, a man in his 20s was stabbed in the back and sides and a group of males, some armed with knives, were seen running away from the attack.

Last month a 17-year-old boy was injured by a group of men on bicycles carrying knives in Princes Street.

Most recently a man in his 20s was attacked by a group of people wearing balaclavas while he was playing football at Gainsborough Sports Centre.

Police say the two incidents on Monday – near the Civic Drive underpass and in Victoria Street – do not appear to be gang-related.

Superintendent Andy Martin, who oversees most community policing in Ipswich, said this series of attacks was sparked by incidents earlier in the year.

He said: "What we're seeing is gangs that are potentially concerned in the supply of drugs locally, feuding with each other over individual issues.

"And as a result of that feud, you quite often get tit for tat retaliation – after one incident occurs, we're quite likely to see the opposing side take action against them."

But these two gangs are not believed to be the same as the two that feuded in the lead-up to the murder of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens in 2018.

Supt Martin said: "It's important to differentiate between what we're seeing now and what we saw historically.

"Historically we would have heard a lot about the 'Neno' gang and the 'J-Block' gang, the structures we're seeing in place now are not the same gangs and not the same members – they may have been connected on the periphery, but this is new."

Ipswich Star: Police in Packard Avenue after the fatal attack on Tavis Spencer-Aitken. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNPolice in Packard Avenue after the fatal attack on Tavis Spencer-Aitken. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Supt Martin said this was in part due to the police successfully disrupting gangs in Ipswich and some prominent members being put behind bars – plunging the gangs into a state of "flux".

"These are not well-structured, organised outfits," he said. "They are a gang to all intents and purposes, but that lack of structure is what leads to them competing to see who will be the next person leading it."

He continued: "What drives a lot of activity, in particular, is a pattern where perhaps those who were involved in the periphery, or at a distance historically, are stepping into the fold and potentially undertaking behaviours to escalate their role and their position in that gang.

"This is why it's important for us and our partners to get in very early on to try and divert the individual before that escalation takes place."

Supt Martin added that the attacks have not yet caused serious injuries.

Ipswich Star: Flowers left as tributes following the death of Tavis Spencer Aitkens Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNFlowers left as tributes following the death of Tavis Spencer Aitkens Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

He said: "They're showing a willingness to carry weapons and use them against other people, but what we're not always seeing is a true willingness to cause injury.

"Quite often we'll see a machete pulled, or we'll see them goad each other and they'll swipe each other with a machete which results in a level of injury, but – fortunately – to date, we have not seen a significant injury."

Supt Martin called on people in Ipswich to ring the police on 999 immediately should they see anything suspicious and one person doing so had helped police arrest six people.

Key signs to watch out for are:

  • Large groups of people carrying balaclavas or other face coverings
  • Vehicles driving around in circles – particularly those carrying a large number of people
  • A large number of people loitering in one area and trying to cover their faces