Australia - Bikiie raid raises explosives fears...

OFF THE WIRE
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/8961490/bikie-raid-raises-explosives-fear/
LUKE ELIOT,
The West Australian
Concerns have been raised over the security of explosives after a Rock Machine member was allegedly found with 54 sticks of Powergel during a raid on the gang's Myaree clubhouse last month.
Det-Supt Charlie Carver said police were still investigating the origin of the Powergel, which was found allegedly hidden throughout the McCoy Street property.
It is understood the explosives may be more than eight years old.
"It is very concerning that these people have got hold of explosives," Det-Supt Carver said. "We are working with the Department of Mines to address these issues."
Regulations regarding explosives were tightened in 2008 but older explosives may not carry the unique, traceable identification numbers.
Shadow police minister Margaret Quirk said there may need to be an intelligence focus on who was able to access explosives from both police and the mining industry.
"If they're given permission to operate these explosives and if they're not doing so in a responsible way, that could potentially impact on the broader community," Ms Quirk said. "They need to give assurances that their security is tight and they know who has access to these explosives."
Department of Mines and Petroleum resources safety division executive director Malcolm Russell said supervised staff could handle explosives in secured areas without personal clearances but unsupervised staff required clearances.
Those personal clearances could only be obtained after State and Federal checks and could be rejected based on gathered intelligence.
Mr Russell said each batch of explosive now had a unique, traceable number that identified where it was manufactured and could be used to find out who bought it and where it went.
Sites that did not adhere to strict explosive storage regulations could face prosecution.
Tommaso Nicola Piccioni has been charged with possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances under Section 557 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years jail.