http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/10/30/20/15/queensland-bikie-crackdown-diverted-police-resources-commission-finds
Most police and politicians have a lot too answer for...
To me, there seems to be far more important issues for these clowns to focus on.
Protecting our familys and children, terrorism, health, education should take priority.
but what do i know, i'm just a dumb arse that rides a Harley.
Ye, don,t worry about the scumbags selling and making meth, don,t worry about the cunts flogging our bikes, ignore the stand over men and welfare cheating dogs, just let them do what they want and forget about them. Get real, they are not your'e friends.
Clickable link
A whole bunch of media stories have hit the airwaves since the release of this 600 pager on Friday arvo...all saying exactly what most with half a brain have always known...less than half a percent of crime is generated by people in and around clubs...miniscule in relation to what really goes on out there, and yet the propaganda led focus is so slanted that child exploitation and abuse crimes go virtually unnoticed..and poorly investigated.. BUT... even with the irrefutable proof contained in this report those with less than the required 'half' will still prattle on that MC's epitomize total evil and nothing else.....a falsity that even the ACC acknowledge in their submission. So its become obvious to high powered and impartial investigators that the 'focus' is more often because of an agenda...political initially then blindly followed by the filth......
Quote from the Courier Mail,
"THE “blinkered” pursuit of bikies at the expense of other criminals has allowed pedophiles and fraudsters to flourish in Queensland, the state’s organised crime inquiry has found. Commissioner Michael Byrne, QC, has delivered a scathing appraisal of the decision to focus police and Crime and Corruption Commission resources on outlaw motorcycle gangs in his 600-page report, casting doubt on the future of the former Newman government-ordered crackdown. He described the exploitation of children as endemic in Queensland and added that the state was the “epicentre” of boiler room scams. Mr Byrne’s report detailed that more than 320,000 victims of financial fraud had not had their cases addressed because police did not have the capacity to do so. “This seemingly blinkered focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs is concerning, particularly given that statistics reveal that outlaw motorcycle gang members account for a very small percentage of relevant criminal activity,” it read. A reallocation of police resources is expected in the wake of the report with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk seeking an urgent meeting with Police Commissioner Ian Stewart to discuss the findings. “Child exploitation, from what we observed and from what we were told, it is endemic in Queensland,” Mr Byrne said as he handed down his report yesterday. “The amount of it which is being shared in an organised fashion between users … accounts for a very large volume of traffic. The great work that Taskforce Argos does is simply swamped by the lack of resources. “The CCC ... said that because of the concentration (on bikies) they had ... lost vision of other forms of organised crime in this state. “With financial crime as well, Queensland, it was discovered, was the epicentre of boiler rooms ... being organised groups who sell financial products or services which are essentially fraudulent “The focus was on the Gold Coast. There are literally tens of thousands – indeed more than that – of complaints of that sort of fraud which have not been able to be investigated by Queensland police. “I’m not pointing the finger of blame at anyone, but resources were being focused on OMCGs.” Mr Byrne said it was not too simplistic to say child exploitation was able to flourish because of the focus on bikies. “There were, in a period we looked at, in excess of 200 detectives involved in Taskforce Maxima,” he said. “So far as the fraud squad … possibly at the high watermark five detectives. “You could count the number of persons who do the very difficult job of identifying the (child exploitation) images on the fingers of a lot less than one hand and I think you could count the number of detectives involved on less than two hands. The hard figures seem to say that one area was being neglected at the expense of the other.” Ms Palaszczuk said she believed police resourcing needed to be immediately addressed. “To think that there is a movement happening in Queensland that is exploiting children is simply not acceptable,” she said. “It’s disgusting. I am going to focus on that immediately. Obviously there is not enough resources.” Opposition justice spokesman Ian Walker said the former state government had left it up to police officers to decide where the extra resources were allocated. Senior police sources yesterday said they were not surprised by the findings and expected officers would be assigned a broader focus on organised crime in coming months. But they said since the controversial bikie laws were introduced there had been minimal violence between gangs in the past two years, compared with other states where murders had been committed. Police said last night there had only been 110 officers in the squad, and not 200 as referred to in the report. Mr Byrne’s report will be taken on board by the VLAD taskforce which will next year reveal whether it believes the former Newman government’s bikie laws should be repealed and replaced."
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/boiler-room-scams-take-over-from-bikies-in-gold-coast-crime-wave/story-fntwpug1-1227588908843
Apparently 'others' besides bikers play such a dominant role in the criminal trade that an expensive and prolonged Inquiry was needed to identify areas to redirect police efforts....especially in the area of child exploitation...
who woulda thought eh ?
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-organised-crime-inquiry-makes-43-recommendations-20151030-gknee0.html
This is the Summary on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs from the Commission of Inquirys report just handed down in Queensland .. the summary details quite a bit about the reality of what type of offences make up the statistics. Theres a page or two of reading here but for those interested its maybe a better way to get the drift of the Inquiry without wading through the 580 or so pages.
One thing that jumped out at me towards the bottom of the page is the inclusion of 'simple offences' in the overall makeup of the numbers used. Simple offences are listed as traffic offences,
bail breaches, disorderly type offences, disobeying police direction, liquor licensing offences, and last and most wicked, nuisance type offences !..These make up 52% of the total number !!!!!!
Not really the type of offences most would attribute to organised crime, but if so, that could mean most people fall under the 'organised criminal' banner......if it suits.
Either way, the recommendations are there for all to read, like them or not...
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
24
Queensland Organised Crime Commission of Inquiry
Crimestoppers reward payments in relation to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
4
Extra funding was also granted to the CCC, by way of $6.7 million over four years for a one-off program to complement police efforts against the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs, predominantly on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
5
In response, the CCC focused heavily on the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
6
The QPS established Operation Resolute to oversee all activity to address outlaw motorcycle gangs and serious crime activity across Queensland, through Taskforces Maxima and Takeback. From its inception until its closure in August 2015, Operation Resolute maintained a strength of in excess of 200 officers, plus additional officers engaged at a regional level.
7
2.2 Outlaw motorcycle gang criminal activity
The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) states
8
that most outlaw motorcycle gang chapters do not engage in organised crime as a collective unit, but rather as small numbers of members who criminally conspire with other criminals. However, outlaw motorcycle gang members are able to leverage off the gang to aid their criminal activities. Outlaw motorcycle gang members play a prominent role in Australia’s domestic production of amphetamine-type stimulants, and they are also involved in other illicit drug markets, vehicle rebirthing and firearms trafficking. Some members have become involved in serious frauds, money laundering, extortion, prostitution, property crime, and bribing/corrupting officials.
The ACC is the custodian of the National Criminal Target List, which identifies organised crime risks, including nationally significant organised criminal syndicates and individuals impacting on Australia. The Commission is aware that a number of members of outlaw motorcycle gangs are on this list. The ACC has maintained confidentiality over both the number of people on that list and on the numbers who are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The CCC further advised that outlaw motorcycle gangs are the most visible organised crime group involved in the use of violence and extortion in Queensland. Violence is used to extort money and assets from legitimate business owners, non-affiliated drug dealers, rival gangs and people operating in gang territory. The outlaw motorcycle gang brand is heavily relied upon as a means to gain compliance for extortion demands.
9
The CCC has advised this Commission
10
that outlaw motorcycle gangs play a major role in illicit drug markets in Queensland, and are also involved in other criminal activity. Intelligence suggests that the domestic and international connections of outlaw motorcycle gangs are increasingly exploited, with gangs cooperating with other club chapters as well as with sophisticated and high-threat organised crime groups operating in Australia and around the world.
Under the Newman Government, legislation—which may be described as extreme—was enacted to target outlaw motorcycle gangs. With specific extra funding, the QPS and the CCC focused heavily on the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs and their members and associates.
However, according to the CCC, the heavy focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs has meant that:
[the Crime and Corruption Commission] has lost visibility of other areas of organised crime active in Queensland, who are likely to have benefited from and or exploited the opportunity to stay under the law enforcement radar.
11
Further, the QPS acknowledges that:
[While] OMCGs [outlaw motorcycle gangs] are an important focus for policing strategies, they are but one of the many types of activities that make the organised crime environment inQueensland.
12
Another activity is that of fraud. The acting head of the Fraud and Cyber Crime Group within the QPS, Detective Acting Superintendent Terry Lawrence, estimates that there are 320,000 fraud victims within Queensland that the QPS does not have capacity to provide an investigative response to.
13
This seemingly blinkered focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs is concerning, particularly given that statistics reveal that outlaw motorcycle gang members account for a very small percentage of relevant criminal activity.
25
The QPS website advises that reported crimes committed by outlaw motorcycle gangs equate to around 0.6 per cent of all crimes in Queensland. This statistic comes with the caveat that crimes by outlaw motorcycle gangs are under-reported, for fear of retribution or because the victim may themselves be involved in criminal activity.
14
The arrest statistics for Operation Resolute—the state-wide operation to address outlaw motorcycle gangs and serious crime activity across Queensland—are revealing. In response to information sought by the Commission, the QPS reported that in the period from 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2015, outlaw motorcycle gang members were charged with one or more offences on 696 occasions. During that same period, the
total number of occasions that persons were charged with criminal offences across the state was 133,883.
Therefore, in the 21-month period of intense law enforcement focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs,
members of such gangs only accounted for 0.52 per cent of persons charged with criminal offences throughout Queensland.
The Commission notes that the total number of arrests made by Operation Resolute during the 21 month period was 2236. The higher arrest figure includes not only arrests of members of outlaw motorcycle gangs but also arrests of ‘associates’ of such gangs. Using the higher figure, members of outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates accounted for 1.7 per cent of criminal activity throughout Queensland for that period.
The Commission has been advised that the 696 occasions that outlaw motorcycle gang members were charged with offences relates to 478 individual persons and 1,093 charges. The following provides a breakdown of some of the offences:
•
298 offences (27 per cent) drug-related under the Drugs Misuse Act 1986, of which 199 were related to the possession of dangerous drugs or relevant substances
122 (11 per cent) violence-to-persons-related offences (including the offence of extortion) under the Criminal Code
55 weapons-related offences under the Weapons Act 1990
22 offences related to the unlawful possession of explosives under the Explosives Act 1999
208 offences (19 per cent) traffic offences or driving-related offences under Transport and other legislation
51 offences under theBail Act 1980
33 offences of assaulting or obstructing police, and 16 offences relating to disobeying a direction or requirement under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000
30 public-nuisance-type offences under the Summary Offences Act 2005
27 offences related to conduct at licensed premises under the Liquor Act 1992
The Commission notes that, of the 1,093 offences that outlaw motorcycle gang members were charged with, 52 per cent of these (572 offences) are simple offences. A simple offence is one that must be dealt with in a Magistrates Court, and not on indictment in the higher courts. Offences categorised as simple offences are less-serious offences, which carry lesser maximum penalties. Serious offences are indictable offences that must be dealt with in the higher courts upon indictment—unless, under the relevant statutes, they can be dealt with summarily. Indictable offences are crimes and misdemeanours that carry significant periods of imprisonment by way of maximum penalties.
Of the 1,093 charges, 605 have been finalised by way of pleading guilty or of a finding of guilt, and 94 charges were finalised by way of acquittal or of the prosecution offering no evidence. The remainder are yet to be finalised and are before the courts.
The Commission accepts the involvement of outlaw motorcycle gangs in organised crime.
However, in the period of October 2013 to 30 June 2015, a period of intense law enforcement focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs and their members and associates, members of such gangs only accounted for 0.52 per cent of persons charged with criminal offences throughout Queensland.
26
The Commission shares the concern held by the CCC that the intense focus on outlaw motorcycle gangs has left a hole in the knowledge held by law enforcement in regards to other forms of organised crime networks.Indeed, the evidence before the Commission suggests that the focus upon—and resources solely dedicated to—the threat of outlaw motorcycle gangs has meant that other types of organised crime have not been able to be appropriately investigated. This view is outlined in the chapter on financial crimes.
Recommendation
The Commission recommends that:
2.1
The Crime and Corruption Commission extend the focus of its intelligence and research
functions beyond outlaw motorcycle gangs to other areas of organised crime that pose a risk
to Queensland.
2.2
The Queensland Police Service extend the focus of its policing strategies beyond outlaw
motorcycle gangs to other areas of organised crime that pose a risk to Queensland.
Running concurrently with the above Byrne Inquiry in Queensland is the Taskforce Review into the VLAD Laws that Labor promised headed by Supreme Court judge Alan Wilson.
This Taskforce Inquiry is expected to hand down its findings in March '16.
Submissions to the Wilson Taskforce have just recently been released to the public. Many of them are from the Law Society ,Bar Association, Human Rights Commission,
Council For Civil Liberties and many other contributors denouncing the VLAD suite of Laws introduced by the Newman Govt before it lost office early this year.
Below is an interesting and irrefutable submission from Associate Professor of Criminology Terry Goldsworthy from Bond University. Having served in the Queensland Police
Service for 28 years rising to a position of Detective Inspector and having spent 16 of those years as a Detective in the Gold Coast Crime Unit actively involved in specific
operations against several OMC's certainly makes his submission difficult to mount a rebuttal against...... and yet his data flies in the face of all regular police and media propaganda....
https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/2370ab47-b1c2-4b71-bd61-9ff75099ae5f/resource/52965f5d-094e-4993-aa70-560b810bc2b7/download/jag3002129v1submission517associateprofessorterrygoldsworthyinquiryarea5.pdf
Gee. The usual anti police sentiment goes west pretty quick when one (even an ex cop) says something that suits the cause.
I honestly don't know why this topic even attracts attention on this forum. For 99% of people on this forum the only thing in common with club members is the make of motorcycle that we ride. So who cares?
I am with Kaos and fatbat on this one cheers men
Agree with you wholeheartedly on that Wimbo. These Inquiries aren't being run to protect OMC's..far from it... the deeper the experts look into this topic the more concerned they become for the innocents. Isolating minorities within the Community with the stroke of a pen behind closed doors in Parliament, not in a Courtroom using real evidence, is like a old black and white anti communism propaganda newsreel to Jurists. The old adage 'if you do nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about' has long passed its use-by date in some States. Spouses, children, parents, in-laws, friends, workmates, and even ex members of Clubs are forbidden, and indeed punished with years of imprisonment for working in, or owning, many diiferent businesses now, like Secondhand dealers, Security, Tattoo Parlours, Licensed Restaurants. There is even a push to bring in 'character assessment' criteria in more and more industries, Transport being one mentioned in Parliaments already. Hell, it could likely be that owning or working in a Motorcycle Shop will soon be illegal for certain motorcyclists.! The thing is, in all these bits of Legislation the words Bikie, Motorcycle Club, Gang, etc are not mentioned..ever... so these Laws can be applied to anyone, but are sold to the less discerning as 'only for Bikies'. If such laws are deemed a good idea and survive all the rigors of these Commissions of Inquiry and any subsequent Court cases then thats all well and good.... ...As long as the extra 15 and 25 years that get tacked onto Club members sentences, just for being clubbies, ALSO get tacked onto persons in a postion of power who fall foul of the Law....say, Police, Church officials, Govt members etc that use their position of trust and standing to obscure their nefarious exploits..... and whats the chance of that eh ?
The long awaited Wilson Commission of Inquiry was released to the public in Brisbane today after 10 months of deliberation.
The Commission was initiated as part of an election promise to examine the LNP VLAD Laws and hear ALL interested parties.
Suprisingly even the Qld Police agreed that the mandatory sentence provisions were excessively harsh and grossly disproportionate
to what is tolerable in a civilised democratic society and so should be dispensed with.
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/breaking-news/qld-govt-to-respond-to-bikie-laws-review/news-story/60b93e8c1e4af7f54a6c5a46b5da042d
Ha...yea even the High Court of Australia found the titile of this Act strange to say the least....they pondered at length at what parts of the Act were actually referred
to by the words 'Vicious and Lawless'.....I dont think they ever resolved their inquiry into the name entirely, it became obvious to them the title was not much more
than a media friendly headline grabber.
Does not bother me in the least any of it, i dont sell drugs, have scary face tattoos, wear a patch or think i am a bad boy. Just an old bloke riding my bike
