Page 737 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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MR RAMSAY: Because they are not effective.
MR HANSON: Attorney-General, when will the bikie war in Canberra end?
MR RAMSAY: Right across Australia, there are matters relating to outlaw motorcycle gangs and criminal organisations that are active in a number of ways. What our government will do is work with the most effective ways of disrupting and preventing those activities, and make sure that Canberra is and remains a safe place to live.
ACT Policing—resourcing
MR WALL: My question is to the Attorney-General. Attorney, what measures or extra powers have police asked for in order to deal with outlaw motorcycle gangs in the territory?
MR RAMSAY: Noting that a number of matters in terms of the relationship regarding liaison with ACT Policing are not within my portfolio responsibility, we will continue to work very strongly with ACT Policing. There are a number of matters that are actively under consideration at the moment, so it is not appropriate for us to reveal possible policy matters for the future. What I can guarantee to members opposite is that we will work closely with ACT Policing and provide effective laws.
MR WALL: Attorney, have ACT police or the minister for police asked you for additional resources or legislative change to address outlaw motorcycle gang activities?
MR GENTLEMAN: Madam Speaker, it might be appropriate that I take that question, having been dealing with ACT Policing on matters including law and resourcing.
I can advise that ACT police have asked for tougher penalties for drive-by shootings and tougher penalties and law to preserve evidence in tying matters to crime scenes. Both of those have been provided to ACT police, alongside millions of dollars in funding for Taskforce Nemesis. Indeed I mentioned earlier that just last year we provided an extra $1.6 million that the Canberra Liberals voted against.
Over the past year ACT Policing has laid 78 charges against 29 criminal gang members and executed 101 search warrants. This year the figures are 13 charges against criminal gang members, 27 offences and 13 search warrants executed.
I am very pleased that the resources, both the resources in a monetary sense and the resources that we have provided in a legislative sense, are working. ACT police are doing a very good job in disrupting criminal gang activities, arresting and detaining criminal gang members.
MR HANSON: Minister, assuming you are going to take the question, have ACTÂ Policing previously asked for anti-consorting laws in the ACT?
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