South Australian bikies abandon their clubrooms as tough new anti-association laws take effect
TWO bikie clubrooms have been abandoned in Adelaide as the State Government’s tough new laws targeting outlaw motorcycle clubs come into effect.
- Anti-bikie laws cut to ban 10 clubs instead of 27
- SA Law Society: These laws are a bad copy of Queensland’s
- Controversial anti-bikie laws pass Parliament
A REBELS and a Comanchero clubroom have already been abandoned as South Australia’s tough new anti-bikie laws come into effect.
The controversial laws have declared 10 gangs criminal organisations making it illegal for members to meet in public, enter pubs and wear club colours.
Attorney-General John Rau said he anticipated the clubs would mount a legal challenge against the laws.
“I would not be surprised at all if there were a legal challenge because this legislation does represent a significant threat to the behaviour and lifestyle of these people,” he said.
“All of the advice I have received is that challenge would be very unlikely to succeed.”
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he expected the declared gangs would comply with the new laws and there would not be a sudden increase in arrests.
A Rebels clubroom at Edinburgh North and Comanchero clubroom at Salisbury have already been abandoned.
Mr Stevens said police fully expected that the gangs would attempt to set up new clubrooms.
He said if they did police would make a submission to the Attorney-General to add any new identified clubrooms to the list of prescribed premises.
“As a result of us meeting with the gang representatives for each respective club two of the club rooms which were prescribed have already been abandoned and the other eight which are subject to the legislation are in varying stages of being shut down,” he said.
Mr Stevens said police had implemented Operation Vanguard to put the new laws into action and that initially only members of the crime gangs taskforce would be able to make arrests.
“Crime gangs taskforce ... have already been visiting the gangs in the lead up to this legislation becoming effective and explaining to those groups the implications of these laws and what it means to them,” Mr Stevens said.
“It’s our expectation that we will see a high degree of compliance of the new laws from the outlaw motorcycle gangs and where we don’t see that compliance and they flout the laws they’ll see the response from the SA Police which will be to take action in accordance with the new
opportunities we have made available to us.
“We are visiting the gangs, we are monitoring the prescribes premises and were also acting on information provided by other police in relation to instances where these members of these organisations are congregating and where they are meeting at licensed premises.”
The legislation prohibits members from outlawed gangs being together in public in groups of three or more.
It also prohibits the wearing of club colours or jewellery and accessories in licenced premises.