Australia - Exposed: the gruesome underbelly of a turf war

OFF THE WIRE
BY: Les Kennedy, Vanda Carson and Eamonn Duff
Source: smh.com.au/
EVERY weekend, young revellers looking for a good time spill out of clubs and fill the streets of Kings Cross into the early hours.Lured by the neon lights and pumping music, the crowds are as large as the morning peak of city office workers in Martin Place.
While the seediness of the Cross is part of its appeal, many revellers are oblivious to the violent turf war raging beneath the gloss and glamour of its fashionable drinking holes.
Advertisement: Story continues below The Sun-Herald learnt of the extent of bikie-related violence in the Cross when a pile of documents was mailed to the wrong address in October.
The documents, contained on paper and compact disc, form a road map of police intelligence, some extremely sensitive, of the battle to regain control of the streets of the Cross from rival organised crime gangs and outlaw bikie groups
A risk report from Kings Cross Police Local Area Command crime intelligence unit to the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing details 41 alleged violent bikie-related incidents at 16 hotels, nightclubs and bars between November 2006 and August last year, said to have been committed by the Hells Angels, Comanchero, Nomads, Rebels, Bandidos, Gypsy Jokers and Notorious gangs.
They range from assaults and the shooting of doormen, kidnapping and holding to ransom rival gang members, street fights between gangs involving up to 30 men, standing over clubs for protection money and the alleged sexual assault of a group of women in a club. One police intelligence report says ''members of … Notorious have begun frequenting [a Kings Cross nightclub] and demanding payments of $5000 per week for protection''.
It says members of Notorious had been instructed to ''stand over and extort monies'' from a pair of business owners, one of whose car was ''blown up during the course of these negotiations''.
Until now, most clubs have voluntarily agreed to refuse entry to gang members but in recent weeks police have upped the ante by asking the NSW government department in charge of licences to forcibly ''impose'' conditions on their liquor licences, a move that can be done without the licensees' consent. Doug Grand, president of the Kings Cross Licensing Accord and boss of Club Swans on busy Darlinghurst Road, said he believed all clubs open beyond midnight were willing to consent to the new licence conditions banning gang members which are under consideration by the government department in charge of liquor licences.
''If you look at the most violent incidents that have occurred in the area over the past three years, the vast majority have been gang-related. From a premise holder's point of view, it's not good to have them in,'' Mr Grand said.
Several licensees expressed fear of speaking publicly about the issue, out of concern of potential reprisals by both bikie gangs and police. Others felt the conditions imposed on their trading were better dealt with openly.
But one nightclub identity, whose venue has already suffered problems after denying bikies entry, described the licence amendments as ''flawed''.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said: ''We got the notification and, in my mind, it leaves us exposed to a licence breach, even if we've done everything by the book.''
He added: ''Next Saturday we might let someone in who, on the surface, looks like your average customer. Once inside, he removes his jacket and he's wearing club colours. All of a sudden, the police pop by and we've broken the law.''
The club owner said: ''Our management strategy has always been to deny these people entry and it always will be - the police already know that - but additionally, sometimes, it's not as clear cut as simply telling someone to go away.
''[Sometimes] it's safer for everyone to simply let them in and call the police afterwards. Is that another breach of licence?''
David Auld, licensee of The Tunnel, said if it was controlled fairly, it had the potential to be a positive move. ''But if police are going to use these new rules to continuously breach premises and have them moved into different [licensing] categories, then I'd be extremely disappointed.''
Mr Auld said tattoos remained a grey area. ''Some clearly state the gang name but others don't. I personally would have no idea if a particular symbol belonged to a particular group. It's not straightforward and I'll be very interested to see what transpires over the coming months and what action venues take if they feel they have been unfairly treated.''
United Motorcycle Council of NSW barrister Wayne Baffsky, who is representing the Bandidos and Hells Angels in a High Court challenge against anti-association laws, described the licence conditions as ''impossible to enforce''.
''Do police honestly believe this ridiculous plan is going to lock those people out of the area? They'll simply dress differently and waltz straight through. As for the majority [of bikies] not involved in organised crime - it signals the start of further harassment and discrimination.''