‘We’ll bring back VLAD’

OPPOSITION Leader Tim Nicholls says bikies are returning to the Gold Coast because Labor’s new consorting laws give offenders a “slap on the wrist”.

Police Minister Mark Ryan in State Parliament after being asked about the results of new anti-bikie laws said police had issued 152 consorting warnings across Queensland since May.

Six people had been charged under the Summary Offences Act with wearing or carrying prohibited items in a public place, and three people for concealing weapons in a vehicle.

Mr Ryan believes the new organised crime laws are “workable” but Mr Nicholls, on the Coast yesterday, said bikies were not being detained for questioning which often led to them being charged with more serious offences.

“All we’ve seen is a slap on the wrist,” Mr Nicholls said.

“We haven’t seen the action to take those bikies in, to subject them to proper scrutiny, and to take action on the information they’ve provided to stop those crimes occurring.”

Mr Nicholls said the LNP if returned to government it would reintroduce the VLAD laws framed by the previous Newman administration.

“We will reintroduce those laws that gave the police the authority and power to stop, search and detain,” he said.

“Even if the police didn’t have to use it often, the fact that people knew that law was in place, particularly the bikies, was a really powerful tool in the police armoury.”

Mr Nicholls talked up tougher laws and “resourcing police” during a brief address to more than 40 community stakeholders at a lunch at the Southport RSL yesterday organised by Coast LNP MP Rob Molhoek.

He said the LNP would not release its policy for police until the election campaign but the Coast remained a priority.

“We will be making announcements around policing. In terms of priority, certainly the Gold Coast is a priority and I would say north and far north Queensland, Townsville and Cairns in particular where we’ve seen increasing incidences of youth crime,” Mr Nicholls said.

Coast LNP MPs in the north of the city believe at least 50 more officers are needed; they want another station; and they say Coomera should be given district status. During a visit earlier to Labrador where he met locals and new Bonney LNP candidate Sam O’Connor, Mr Nicholls made it obvious the Opposition would be running on a law and order campaign at the state poll.

He accused the Palaszczuk Government of being “soft on crime” and “nowhere is that being felt more than here on the Gold Coast”.

“We are seeing robberies up 25 per cent, assaults up by over 27 per cent,” Mr Nicholls said.