‘Bikies back in action in city’
THE bikies are back in business.
Queensland’s outlaw bikie gangs are officially back on the Gold Coast under the Palaszczuk Labor Government, State Parliament was told yesterday.
Official answers from Police Minister Mark Ryan to LNP Questions on Notice have revealed:
• Of 67 bikies currently charged and awaiting trial, 57 have been released back into the community on bail.
• Police believe there are still 700 patched Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Members in Queensland.
• The number of Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang (bikies) ‘consorting’ warnings issued by police has surged from 230 in 2016-17 to 570 in 2017-18.
• Despite these consorting warnings, unbelievably just one person has been successfully prosecuted of habitually consorting since March 2017.
“The numbers don’t lie — bikie gangs are officially back in business under Annastacia Palaszczuk,” LNP leader Deb Frecklington later told the Bulletin.
“The LNP drove criminal gangs into the ground but they have picked themselves up under this soft Labor Government.
“Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is kidding Queenslanders when she says she is tough on bikies.
“Labor gives the bikies a slap on the wrist and then sends them back out into the community.”
Opposition police spokesman Trevor Watts said Labor’s watered-down laws had allowed bikies to rebuild their criminal networks.
“Bikie gangs have little to fear from the Palaszczuk Government,” Mr Watts said.
“They can freely meet and if they get a consorting warning from the police there’s almost no chance of being prosecuted.
“If a bikie is charged with a crime the odds are they’ll be back on streets in no time.
“Under the LNP, accused bikies were kept on remand and communities kept safe.”
The Estimates hearing became heated yesterday when Mr Watts asked Mr Ryan about bikies being released back into the community.
Mr Ryan dismissed the question as a “nonsense” because some offenders could have been convicted of minor shoplifting offences.
“They’re not wearing their patches any more because of our strongest, toughest, most comprehensive anti-bikie legislation in the nation,” he said.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE — BIKIE GANGS ARE OFFICIALLY BACK IN BUSINESS UNDER ANNASTACIA PALASZCZUK LNP LEADER DEB FRECKLINGTON
“They not allowed to wear their colours now. We’ve seen of course those bikies fleeing the jurisdiction, crossing the border to NSW to put their colours on.”
After learning of the latest statistics and arrival of new Mongrel Mob gang, Mayor Tom Tate backed the former Newman Government’s tough anti-gang laws.
“If they want to take my advice, it is best to close the chapter and the book on outlaw gangs because the State government is after them, and we have zero tolerance for them,” he said.
“Move on, we don’t want you.”
Mayor Tate said the Newman Government’s tough laws were one of the biggest deterrents for outlaw gangs on the Coast.
“That is one of the successes of the Newman government. When he (Campbell Newman) first brought it in and he brought it in swiftly, to combat that brawl in the street,” he said.
“Since the VLAD laws have been in place I haven’t’ seen a brawl since.”