Organised crime on the hit list

Reform bills introduced to the Parliament last week have ignited doubts and criticisms over their potential to reduce drive-by shootings.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell said the three criminal and firearms laws reform bills would fix loopholes in existing laws on consorting and organised crimes, and tighten control over ammunition sales.

“These new laws will be additional tools in the police armoury to help them protect innocent lives and bring those involved in criminal gangs behind drive-by shootings before the courts,” he said.

One bill requires licensed firearms dealers to record ammunition purchases and sales, and bans ammunition sales to unlicensed owners of firearms that take the specific ammunition.

The Greens MP David Shoebridge said the ammunition control would not substantially lower the incidence of drive-by shootings.

“It will reduce the sources of ammunition for those who wish to engage in illegal crimes but it won’t end their supply,” he said.

Shooters and Fishers Party member Robert Borsak said the firearms bill merely disadvantaged law-abiding firearms owners.

New offences include: Firing at a dwelling house (16 years max); directing an organised criminal enterprise (15 years max); directing the activity of a criminal group (10 years max); knowingly benefiting from the activities of a criminal group (five years max).

The third bill will enable the police to apply to the Supreme Court to outlaw bikie gangs and forbid them from associating with each other. The bill is a re-enactment of a 2009 Act struck down by the High Court after a challenge by a Hells Angels member, who received $300,000 from the NSW Government.

Some members of the Parliament doubted whether the re-enacted state law could withstand High Court challenge, including the Premier himself, who called for a national bikie law during the Parliamentary meeting.

“I say again that the best way to withstand a challenge in the High Court to the State’s outlaw motorcycle gang laws is for the Federal Parliament to legislate in this regard,” Mr O’Farrell said.

Mr Shoebridge said laws that challenged the essential freedom of association in a free society would lead to a substantial misdirection of police resources.

“Devoting police resources to anti-association, anti-bikie laws rather than to chasing real and existing crimes may lead to countless thousands of police hours being wasted if a High Court challenge is successful,” he said.

Police Minister Michael Gallacher said the Australian Crime Commission had been commissioned to examine and profile all firearms seized in Australia over the last 12 months.
The report will be presented to the next national meeting of State and Territory Police Ministers in July.

Since early January the police have made 68 arrests in Operation Spartan targeting drive-by shootings, resulting in 137 charges and 16 seized firearms.

by Josephine Kwan