AUSTRAILIA - Police union warns of lack of bikie laws

OFF THE WIRE
OUTLAW motorcycle gxxgs are ''making a mockery'' of the legal system because of the federal government's failure to introduce national anti-bikie laws, says the union representing federal police.
The Australian Federal Police Association says bikies are attaining ''folk hero status'' while state governments struggle to introduce laws to crack down on the increasingly high-profile gxxgs.
In a letter to union members, the national president, Jon Hunt-Sharman, said the federal government had failed to act on a promise to introduce national legislation that would criminalise outlaw motorcycle gxxgs, allow authorities to seize bikies' assets, and provide for intelligence to be shared by states.
The gxxgs, ''utilising their vast and suspicious 'unexplained wealth', have been able to successfully challenge various state laws in the High Court and thereby make a mockery of our legal system'', Mr Hunt-Sharman writes.
''Whilst [they] get folk hero status (at least in their own minds), police are demoralised, having to use antiquated legislation to combat these criminals, with the criminals getting away with murder.
''[The gxxgs] operate without regard to state or national borders. We need to ensure that there are nationally consistent laws, and this can only occur through leadership from the Gillard government.''
A spokeswoman for the Home Affairs Minister, Jason Clare, said the government had tried to gain agreement for national legislation, but had been stymied by the states. ''We have asked the states to refer the power to us to introduce national anti-gxxg laws and give outlaw motorcycle gxxgs nowhere to hide,'' she said. ''Unfortunately the states rejected our offer in April - but it still stands.''
However, a spokesman for Victorian Attorney-General, Robert Clark, disputed this, claiming that the federal Attorney-General had raised no objections to plans by some states to enact uniform state-based laws, rather than federal legislation.
The threat posed by bikies has been thrown into sharp relief by recent public explosions of violence in a number of states.
In 2009, a Hells Angel associate was beaten to death at Sydney Airport in front of onlookers during a vicious brawl between Hells Angels and Comancheros.
Sydney has been rocked by a spate of drive-by shootings, allegedly triggered by a feud between the Hells Angels and the Nomads, while late last year in Melbourne, Bandidos enforcer Toby Mitchell was shot five times in a busy Brunswick street at 4.30pm.
The South Australian and NSW governments have already had anti-bikie laws struck down by the High Court on the grounds that they are unconstitutional. Queensland police have used new laws to apply to have the Finks declared a criminal organisation.

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