OFF THE WIRE
Photo: The police union says it will take time to make a real impact on law and order. (ABC TV News - file image)
The Queensland Police Union says the State Government must ensure there is a major crime clean-up on the Gold Coast before the Commonwealth Games.
The Gold Coast won the right to host the Games in 2018, and the union says well-established bikie gangs and crime syndicates need to be targeted before the city stages the event. General Secretary Mick Barnes says it will take time to make a real impact on law and order.
"When the Commonwealth Games in 2018 hits the Gold Coast, the policing presence needs to have been up and running for a couple of years to clean it up," he said.
"You don't have to go too far from the Surfers Paradise police station to see the workings of the outlaw motorcycle gangs.
"Intelligence certainly suggests that the outlaw motorcycle gangs will be a problem unless the State Government gets serious.
"It is going to take a big commitment of police on the Gold Coast to clean things up in time for the Commonwealth Games."
Criminologist David Bradford says it will take years to unravel organised crime on the Gold Coast, even with strong political will and support.
"It's not just a matter of more staff, it's dedicated staff, it's a taskforce, it's trained staff - staff who specialise in dealing with this sort of issue," he said.
"We are not talking about general duties policing here, we are talking about some fairly specific skills in relation to organised crime, which is a very different skill set."