NEW BIKIE GANG MAKES MOVE ON DARWIN
Police vow to continue fight against gangs as Outlaws build on Top End presence
THE Outlaws bikie gang has been quietly building a base in Darwin, and some police believe it is only a matter of time before the gang sets up a formal chapter in the Top End.
The gang has ballooned to 23 chapters in Australia since it established a presence in the country in 1994, with chapters in Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
Since March, a group of Outlaws associates has been flaunting club regalia in Darwin.
The group has close links to the Outlaws’ Shepparton chapter, with one of the gang’s Darwin associates having travelled to Victoria where he met with fully patched members, including one who is a relative.
The Shepparton member later visited Darwin, and posed for photos in full leathers alongside half a dozen Darwin men wearing club singlets.
The photos, posted online, have caught the eye of antigangs police, who are particularly concerned about convicted killer and standover man Shane Mulhall’s presence at a gathering.
The Outlaws claim on their website they are “not a criminal organisation” but are a club “rich in history and tradition”, which police and the media have misrepresented.
“To say that (members) are criminals or people of a lesser moral code than the rest of society is a tainted opinion,” the club’s website says.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission lists the club among the 39 outlaw motorcycle gangs operating in Australia. Police sources say an Outlaws chapter in Darwin would mark a significant shift in the bikie landscape in Darwin, and could prompt a turf war between the newcomers and their traditional rivals, the Hells Angels, the gang with the most firmly established foothold in the Territory.
Police efforts have seen the other gang with a traditional foothold in Darwin, the Rebels, virtually disappear, with president Andy Summerfield and sergeant-at-arms Shannon Althouse both serving long jail stints for ordering a hatchet and machete attack on a rival.
The third bikie gang with a presence in Darwin is a small contingent of Bandidos.
NT Police yesterday vowed they would continue aggressively policing bikie gangs.
Superintendent Kerry Hoskins said: “The Northern Territory Police, as member of National Task Force Morpheus, work closely with a broad range of law enforcement agencies to disrupt and prevent the criminal enterprises of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) through intelligence led responses.
“We will continue to use all the capabilities at our disposal to proactively and collaboratively target OMCGs and prevent any risk of new or current OMCGs gaining a strong foothold in the Territory,” he said.
The Outlaws did not respond to the Sunday Territorian’s inquiries.
“NT Police will continue to target OMCGs” SUPERINTENDENT KERRY HOSKINS