SEVEN boys have been charged with 22 offences including robbery after early morning raids on Cairns houses by a new police taskforce set up to stamp out child gangs.

The blitz will continue today as police try to reel in more alleged gang members believed to be responsible for violent bashings and muggings in the city during the past fortnight.

Starting just after daybreak yesterday, the 12-officer unit raided nine homes at West Cairns and doorknocked others in search of the suspects.

Police continued their hunt for gang members last night by patrolling suburban streets and questioning repeat offenders.

"We’ve been persistent all day to find out where the alleged offenders are," Supt Katarina Carroll said.

The boys, aged in their early-to-mid teens, have been charged with offences ranging from robbery and assault to burglary and car theft.

Two boys, both 12, have already been arrested over the knife-point robbery of two men at Earlville last Thursday.

The taskforce of general-duty police, detectives and tactical crime-squad officers was formed following violent robberies – each by between four and six children – at Earlville and Manunda in the past two weeks.

Supt Carroll said police had been helped by residents who knew the suspects.

"A lot of the time, we depend on the community to be our eyes and ears," she said.

Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit Det Sen-Sgt Glenn Horan said the youngsters responsible for the recent crimes were not part of a highly organised group.

"There is no evidence to indicate a significant level of planning in any of these offences," he said.

"It appears that the offending is opportunistic."

Police are also hunting a teenager who knocked a 20-year-old woman to the ground and stole her handbag on Sheridan St, near the Florence St intersection, about 7.30pm on Monday.

Sen-Constable Cary Coolican said the boy, who was riding a bike, had tried to rob two women just moments earlier.

He was of Aboriginal appearance, about 15, 175cm tall with a slim build.

He wore a white singlet and three-quarter length army-style pants.

Meanwhile, Cairns mayoral candidate Val Schier opposed calls by incumbent Mayor Kevin Byrne for a curfew to be imposed to keep young troublemakers off the streets.

"Curfews punish the huge majority of good young people who need to be able to be about their business 24 hours a day," Ms Schier said.

Ms Schier said there needed to be more youth justice conferencing during which victims confronted their attackers.

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