OFF THE WIRE
Liam McAleer
melton-leader.whereilive.com.au
MELTON police have played down fears of an alleged feud between two chapters of an outlawed bikie gang.
Melton Inspector Mario Fiorentino has advised residents not to “hit the panic button”, despite warnings of potential violence between the Yarraville and Melton chapters of the Bros motorcycle club.
A police officer who has investigated bikie gangs, Detective Sen-Constable Justin Wool, said he believed there was a potential for violence between the chapters, with a Melton clubhouse burned down last month.
But Inspector Fiorentino said the fire was not suspicious and there had not been a lot of crime linked to the gang within the shire.
Do you fear bikie gangs in our community? Or are they harmless? Tell us below.
“I don’t necessarily think it will impact on Melton residents,” Insp Fiorentino said.
“There haven’t been too many instances in Melton that we can clearly link to motorcycle gangs, so we’ve been fortunate in that regard, but having said that we’re not being complacent - we’ve got our eyes and ears open.
“We’ve enjoyed a fairly event-free past few years and I tend to think that the relationships (between police and the gang) are quite good.
“However, a lot of bikie activities might go unnoticed, so we encourage members of the community to contact police or Crime Stoppers if they have or see any information.”
Inspector Fiorentino said police would remain vigilant.
“We’re not blind to the fact that we do have outlaw motorcycle gang clubhouses in the Melton Shire area, but once again we’ve not had instances of note in many years,” he said.
“We’ll be watching what goes on in the local area and give it our best shot to ensure the public are safe.
“I wouldn’t be hitting the panic button just yet.”
Last week Victoria Police launched the Echo Taskforce - formed to target bikie crimes, disrupt criminal activity by the groups and stamp out intimidation of the public.
Melton Inspector Mario Fiorentino has advised residents not to “hit the panic button”, despite warnings of potential violence between the Yarraville and Melton chapters of the Bros motorcycle club.
A police officer who has investigated bikie gangs, Detective Sen-Constable Justin Wool, said he believed there was a potential for violence between the chapters, with a Melton clubhouse burned down last month.
But Inspector Fiorentino said the fire was not suspicious and there had not been a lot of crime linked to the gang within the shire.
Do you fear bikie gangs in our community? Or are they harmless? Tell us below.
“I don’t necessarily think it will impact on Melton residents,” Insp Fiorentino said.
“There haven’t been too many instances in Melton that we can clearly link to motorcycle gangs, so we’ve been fortunate in that regard, but having said that we’re not being complacent - we’ve got our eyes and ears open.
“We’ve enjoyed a fairly event-free past few years and I tend to think that the relationships (between police and the gang) are quite good.
“However, a lot of bikie activities might go unnoticed, so we encourage members of the community to contact police or Crime Stoppers if they have or see any information.”
Inspector Fiorentino said police would remain vigilant.
“We’re not blind to the fact that we do have outlaw motorcycle gang clubhouses in the Melton Shire area, but once again we’ve not had instances of note in many years,” he said.
“We’ll be watching what goes on in the local area and give it our best shot to ensure the public are safe.
“I wouldn’t be hitting the panic button just yet.”
Last week Victoria Police launched the Echo Taskforce - formed to target bikie crimes, disrupt criminal activity by the groups and stamp out intimidation of the public.