CRIME WORLD LINK TO GUNS

FIVE shooting cases where people were hurt or killed remain unsolved on the Gold Coast in a horror eight months for gun violence.

And police sources believe the perpetrators of each crime may have links to the underworld.

The five shootings are: Alleged Rebels bikie Gokhan Turkyilmaz wounded multiple times in front of his Upper Coomera home in February.

Reece King was shot in the face with a sawn-off shotgun during a home invasion in Robina in April.

Hayden Miller shot in the arm while celebrating his 18th birthday on the balcony of a Surfers Paradise hotel in June.

Ivona Jovanovic left to die after being shot at a Highland Park home in September;

Comanchero bikie Shane Ross and business partner Cameron Martin murdered eight days ago in Burleigh.

There have been other gun cases in recent months – such as the shooting up of a home belonging to the former neighbours of ex-Hells Angel bikie Ben Geppert – but no-one was hurt.

Police confirmed to the Bulletin the cases were still open and no one had been charged as of yesterday.

Sources have told the Bulletin the stonewalling they face when dealing with gangland

WE HAVE CLOSED DOWN OPERATIONS WHERE WE HAVE FOUND PEOPLE MANUFACTURING GUNS.

DET SUPT KERRY JOHNSON

and underworld figures makes the investigations extremely difficult.

“Cases where OMCGs, or people who are involved in crime, are generally hard to get people to talk,” one source said.

Detective Superintendent Kerry Johnson said police treated any crime involving a gun as a priority to solve.

“Any violent crime where there are firearms or weapons of any crime used in our community, should not be tolerated by the public and will not be tolerated by us,” Supt Johnson said.

“One gun crime is unacceptable to me, it is at the highest priority.

“Are we frustrated sometimes that we don’t solve crimes? Of course we are, but that’s the brutal reality. This isn’t TV, this is real life.

“Having said that, we put everything, as far as our skill set and resources that we have available, we push into these crimes, because it’s not acceptable anywhere.”

Supt Johnson said the

guns used by criminals came from a range of places.

“I’ve seen in my career and over a number of years guns that have come from wars.

“A lot of them are trophies that come from overseas, a lot of them are guns from that period where we had no registration.

“They still exist, they’re still out there. You’ve also got those guns that are stolen

from people who lawfully have them.

“We have closed down operations where we have found people manufacturing guns.

“We’ve also seized guns that even by records have never come to Australia. They’ve been illegally imported to here.”

Supt Johnson said it was important for lawful gun owners to take responsibility

for their weapons and for those who have guns from before registration came into affect to hand them in.

“The lawful owners, the overwhelming majority, are absolute law abiders, otherwise they wouldn’t have got the licence.

“I’m very comfortable with our licensed owners and I think they are responsible citizens in our community, but

we still do audits and compliance of them.

“I’d appeal to everyone, if they have got guns at home that they shouldn’t, they might not be using them, they might just be sitting in a cupboard, hand it in, you don’t need to contribute to what can be a gun that ends up in the wrong hands.

“Heaven forbid somebody gets hurt out of that.”