March 7, 2014
Concerns by local recreational motorbike riders that they could be swept up in the State Government’s crackdown on criminal motorcycle gangs has prompted a visit to the South Burnett by a senior police official.
Detective Inspector David Austin, from the South West District Southern Region, will meet with members of various local bike and social clubs at 9:30am tomorrow (Saturday) at an open forum at the Kingaroy Hotel.
Det Insp Austin touched base this afternoon at Kingaroy Police Station with representatives from the Burnett Branch of the Ulysses Club and the Harley Owners Group ahead of tomorrow’s forum.
He said there was confusion and a number of misconceptions in the motorcycle community about the legislation which he hoped to dispel.
Det Insp Austin said the hospitality industry had also been “missing out on business” because legitimate motorcycle groups had been unnecessarily cancelling rides.
He said he was happy to try to clarify the legislation to local riders.
However, his role was not to justify it … “my role as a police officer is to enforce it”, he said.
Det Insp Austin urged the local social clubs – on a voluntary basis – to register with police any of their rides which would have more than 12 participants.
This was no guarantee riders would not be stopped for ID checks, but this was just normal operational policing at the discretion of individual officers.
Det Insp Austin confirmed he had spoken on a previous occasion to members of the local Rebels MC – one of the declared groups – but would not go into details. He said local Rebels members were aware they were being monitored.
- External link: Register Your Ride
- Download Ride Safe FAQs (39kb PDF)
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Under the Criminal Law (Criminal Organisations Disruption) Amendment Bill 2013 a number of clubs have been specifically declared to be criminal organisations, ie: Bandidos, Black Uhlans, Coffin Cheaters, Comancheros, Finks, Fourth Reich, Gladiators, Gypsy Jokers, Hells Angels, Highway 61, Iron Horsemen, Life and Death, Lone Wolf, Mobshitters, Mongols, Nomads, Notorious, Odins Warriors, Outcasts, Outlaws, Phoenix, Rebels, Red Devils, Renegades and Scorpions.
Other specific legislation applies to members and associates of these specified groups that prevents them from displaying club patches, images (including tattoos), jewellery or “1 per cent” insignia in licensed premises.
Members and associates are also prohibited from gathering in groups of three or more in a public place or recruiting people to join any of the declared organisations.
The Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Bill 2013 (the VLAD act) is invoked once a member or associate of a criminal organisation – whether specified in the Criminal Law or not – is convicted of a specified criminal offence. It affects sentencing and parole eligibility.
