OFF THE WIRE
New laws designed to destroy bikie gxxgs in Queensland might not work and may even make life harder for police.
Criminologists
say laws that include tougher penalties, bike crushing, the denial of
bail and a new maximum security jail could lead to more crime and force
gxxg members into life on the run.
Former Gold Coast cop turned
criminologist Terry Goldsworthy says the changes, particularly those on
bail, will make it harder for police to nab bikies.
"If a bikie thinks they won't be getting bail, then they won't be surrendering to police," Dr Goldsworthy told AAP.
"They will be saying, 'you can come and catch us, because once you catch us we won't be able to get out'."
Queensland
University of Technology criminologist Dr Mark Lauchs said it is hard
to say whether the new laws would have the desired effect.
"I can't imagine it's going to make them any nicer citizens as a result," he told AAP.
"The point of announcing them is to be a deterrence, they're not saying it so they can lock everyone up."
Dr
Lauchs said he understood there was some logic to keeping bikies in a
new prison, but he doubted it would prevent crime or rehabilitate
criminals.
"I'm not a huge fan of this prison idea," he said.
"Literally, it's just `get them in prison and lock them away and punish them while they're there'."
Dr Goldsworthy said some bikies would find ways to get around the new laws.
He said bikies would just commit crimes in other peoples' vehicles if their motorcycles were crushed.
"Then
we have the dilemma of `do we crush grandma's car because her grandson
is a Bandido who committed an offence in it?'" Dr Goldsworthy said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/19402988/laws-to-drive-bikies-to-life-on-the-run/
