OFF THE WIRE
AUSTRALIA'S leading police figures will strategise with their New Zealand counterparts on how to combat ongoing bikie violence.
South-east Queensland and Sydney have been hit by outlaw motorcycle gxxg violence in recent months with relentless tit-for-tat attacks and gxxg rivalries spreading into the public domain.
At the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management bi-annual meeting in Melbourne on Friday, police ministers and commissioners will share intelligence and strengthen cross-jurisdictional ties with bikie violence high on the agenda.
Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey said governments needed to fight cross-border crime seamlessly.
"Criminals know no borders," he said.
The meeting follows simmering bikie tensions in Queensland, including the Bandido and Finks-related double shooting at Robina Town Centre in April.
While not experiencing the same level of bikie violence as Australia, New Zealand has its fair share of gxxg activity.
A spokesman for the New Zealand Police said the bikie violence in Australia had not been replicated in New Zealand.
"This is due in part to organised crime, including the manufacture and supply of methamphetamine, being an important focus for the OMCG's here," he said.
"This has seen alliances being forged between the gxxgs in order to facilitate this criminal activity."
New Zealand police have seen the Bandidos, a club with a presence on the Gold Coast, attempt to get a foothold in their country where the Hells Angels and Rebels already have chapters.
"NZ Police and other law enforcement agencies co-operate closely with their counterparts in Australia in (the area of cross-border relationships)," the police spokesman said.
"However, we have also seen a decline in NZ OMCG's associating themselves with Australian clubs in order to become more attractive to prospective members."
The SCPEM meeting will also look at strengthening disaster recovery partnerships.
Following last year's devastating Christchurch earthquake, 70 members of the Queensland Fire and Rescue service were deployed to help with the recovery effort.
http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/06/28/police-team-nz-against-bikies/
