January 20, 2014
Local spokesman for The Greens, Grant Newson, is continuing his protest against the State Government’s “Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act” with another stall planned for the Nanango markets.
Mr Newson will have his pink-themed stall at the markets from 6:00am to noon on February 1.
The pink refers to the State Government’s promise to make bikies arrested under the new Act wear pink jumpsuits in jail.
Mr Newson today questioned the necessity for the new legislation.
He said that of the 384 people arrested since he crackdown began, only 1.5 per cent had been charged under the new anti-bikie laws.
“This is despite the authorities saying that all 384 people arrested were participants in criminal gangs,” he said.
“Of the 817 charges, only 28 – or 3.4 per cent – can be considered ‘organised crime’ type charges such as drug trafficking and extortion.
“The offences laid against bikies account for just 0.8 per cent of total drug supply offences in Queensland.
“For trafficking in dangerous drugs, they account for 5 per cent of offences. For production of dangerous drugs they accounted for only 1.3 per cent of total offences.
“In the first two months of Operation Resolute. police have recovered only around $200,000 worth of drugs.
“Divide that figure by all of the ‘participants’ arrested. and they would have earned an average of $260 per month, hardly what high rollers are made of.”
