OFF THE WIRE
Amy Remeikis
Premier Campbell Newman “absolutely” blames the Labor party for Australia's east coast outlaw motorcycle gxxg problem and says the Liberal National Party has been left to clean it up.
“We've had a Labor state government in Victoria, a Labor state government in New South Wales and a Labor state government in Queensland and we have a problem down the east coast that now needs to be dealt with,” he said.
“We've had Labor governments up the east coast for the best part of the last 20 years and I do blame them, but I can tell the people of Queensland right now, they have an LNP government that is going to be serious about dealing with these matters.”
Mr Newman's comments came after yesterday's double shooting at a Gold Coast shopping centre.
A 53-year-old woman bystander was shot in the pelvic region when an as yet unidentified man approached a 42-year-old man police say has known bikie links, and brandished a gun at him.
The man was also shot and was taken, with the woman, to the Gold Coast Hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to his left bicep.
Both are in a stable condition.
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland already had the toughest anti-bikie legislation in Australia.
"The LNP has an Attorney-General who wants to repeal the toughest anti-bikie laws in Australia, and a Premier who wants to apply these laws," she said.
"Does the Premier want to roll out the welcome mat to bikies across the border to come here?
"We now have a situation where the public is in fear for their safety.
"The LNP needs to sit down around the Cabinet table and sort this out. They need to explain what they are doing to stop the escalation of these bikie wars."
Police are still looking for the shooter and last night Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said additional resources had been immediately approved to hunt out those responsible.
Mr Newman said his government would use “every possible mechanism” available to combat the escalating bikie feud – including putting the Labor government's association laws into action, which the Premier freely admits he criticised as recently as the last few days.
“We are going to go after groups that are identified as being involved in these illegal activities over the last seven to 10 days, Mr Newman said.
“If we are getting a strong message from the [Police] Commissioner that these people that have been involved come from these organisations and part of their internal machinations and are playing out these sorts of things on our streets, then we are prepared to give this a go," he said.
“We have been critical about that [association laws] in the past, I have in recent days continued to be critical, because really, any efforts should be directed against the breaking of a law as opposed to trying to designate an organisation.
“Nevertheless, we will look right now at whether we can launch some sort of action using the laws we inherited from the Labor Party, if we can do that, and if we can, we will.
"But we will be strengthening the law with this unexplained criminal proceeds sort of approach and that will happen once parliament comes back.”
Police Minister Jack Dempsey said an additional 20 detectives will be allocated to respond to outlaw motorcycle club gxxg violence, with 10 of those detectives headed to the Gold Coast.
The Serious and Violent Crime Squad, which currently consists of 20 officers will be renamed to Major and Organised Crime Squad and allocated 30 officers.
The newly named police squad will primarily deal with major and organised crime, serious and violent crime and illegal fire arms.
Both Mr Dempsey and Mr Newman again flagged changes to the state's illegal gun laws, which they say will be the toughest in the nation.
Also on the legislative agenda is a strengthening of mandatory sentencing.
“This government has the will, this government will not leave Queenslanders to go around in fear of being shot on a Saturday afternoon in a local shopping centre,” Mr Newman said.
“It's just not on, it will not be tolerated and the Police Commissioner and his dedicated team of men and women out on the streets who protect us, will be given every resource they need to deal with this issue.”
Mr Newman the government's reaction was prompted by the outlaw motorcycle gxxg violence spilling into the public arena and promised to protect Queenslanders.
“Remember what happened yesterday, we had a lady, who was, from what we understand, an innocent bystander, some lady who has gone into a shopping centre, she has gone into Robina on the weekend, minding her own business and has been shot,” he said.
“That is why this is so serious, that's why it's so unacceptable.”
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/newman-blames-labor-for-bikie-violence-20120429-1xskl.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/bikies-will-come-to-regret-public-violence-police-chief-says-20120429-1xsou.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/code-of-silence-as-gold-coast-gunman-remains-on-loose-20120429-1xsk3.html