The death of the head of the Canberra chapter of the Comanchero MC showed the ACT needed to consider anti-consorting rules, Australia’s top police officer has said.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, new Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw called “outlaw motorcycle gangs” “gutless” and that there should be zero tolerance for their existence.
Unlike NSW, Victoria and Queensland, the ACT does not have anti-consorting laws that prevent “outlaw motorcycle gang” members from associating with each other either in person or online.
Commissioner Kershaw said those laws were effective in other jurisdictions.
“If you have a look at things like firearms prohibition orders, other tactics, if you ask other jurisdictions, and I have, some of those tactics have worked,” he said.
There has been a renewed push for anti-consorting laws in the ACT since the brawl at Kokomo’s on the weekend that claimed the life of Pitasoni Ulavalu. Commissioner Kershaw said the new chief of police in the ACT would be raising the matter with the ACT government.
Mr Ulavalu was officially identified by police as the man who died on Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously off the back of this incident it will be brought to the forefront to say we probably need to consider some different things,” Commissioner Kershaw said.
He did not say definitely the ACT needed the laws, that it was a matter for the ACT police boss.
The ACT government has resisted introducing anti-consorting laws, saying there’s no proof they work elsewhere in reducing bikie activity.
Commissioner Kerhsaw lashed out at “outlaw motorcycle gangs”, saying no one is above the law.
“They’re not delivering teddies at Christmas,” he said.
“What kind of group has values of gang-banging, violence, and motorcycles, that’s your values as a club?”
“For me any law that makes it difficult to become a member, or be part of that club, because most of them are pretty gutless, and they have to hunt in packs. I think they are a scourge on society and we need to say zero tolerance to outlaw motorcycle gangs.”
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Source: The Canberra Times by Sally Whyte