Sydney gang police expecting rise in violence after AN0M mass arrests

Police are fearing a rise in violence in Sydney’s criminal underworld after mass arrests in the AN0M police sting.

NSW Police are preparing for a new gang war in Sydney’s underworld over the next few weeks as a result of a change in power structure, collapsed drug deals and outstanding debts caused by one of the country’s biggest police operations.

“This is just the beginning. It’s not the end of the story because we have significant threats in NSW, ’’ said NSW Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.

“When we take out certain components of the criminal element, someone will always be there to try and replace it.

“And, that is what we are most concerned about in the future.”

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson says he fears this is just the beginning. Picture: Getty Images

Well before the Operation Ironside raids, NSW Police had a strategy ready to combat any possible conflicts that may come about as a result.

Officers from the elite anti-bikie squad Raptor have already had extra shifts added rosters in anticipation of tension between gangs on Sydney’s streets.

Major players in Sydney connected to the Comanchero and Lone Wolf bikie gangs have been arrested after a three-year Federal Police operation, Ironside, had infiltrated a phone app, AN0M, being used by ­criminals.

Four NSW police detectives already embedded with Federal Police since May 4 had been gathering intelligence on potential targets before the raids, which were carried out over the past 48 hours.

Some of the addresses hit in Ironside were nominated from state operations ­already in motion before the federal police raids.

But now it’s feared other bikie gangs such as the Rebels, Finks and Bandidos — as well as Middle Eastern organised crime families — will see the operation as an opportunity to move into the void created by the ­arrests of some people.

Deputy Commissioner Hudson said he and Commissioner Mick Fuller beefed up the Raptor squad months ago with knowledge of what was going to happen.

“That was done in preparation for what will happen next, because we have seen when we have an impact on the criminal element in NSW, there will be reprisals, there will be debts owed, there will be conflict, and there will be someone trying to step up to fill that gap.”

Police sources have also highlighted that there are shipments of drugs already on their way to Australia which will be intercepted — and the criminals organising them know they have no way now of stopping it.