Broadbeach Brawl 2013: Police Minister Mark Ryan says former Premier Campbell Newman kicked cops ‘in the gut’ with bikie comments

Police Minister Mark Ryan says former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has “kicked police in the gut” with criticism of their performance during the 2013 Broadbeach bikie brawl.

Police Minister Mark Ryan says former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has “kicked police in the gut” with criticism of their performance during the 2013 Broadbeach bikie brawl.

Mr Newman last week called into question what he felt was “inappropriate” negotiations between officers and gang members a decade ago and that he regretted his controversial Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) legislation his government introduced to crack down on gangs. The VLAD laws stiffened sentences for gang members and banned them getting together in groups.

While he now regrets introducing the legislation, Mr Newman was critical of officers having an “inappropriate” relationship with bikies on the night of September 27, 2013. when more than 60 Bandidos led by Jacques Teamo flooded into central Broadbeach and started a brawl with rival Finks bikies Jason Trouchet and Matthew Sward.

A handful of police tried to hold the line and were left yelling for back-up.

“There were two broad problems – one was the legislation but the other thing was of course, to get the police to take action,” he said last week.

Former QLD premier Campbell Newman. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“It was about reinforcing that they had political support to take action, which they really frankly shouldn’t have needed to hear, but they had to be told that.

“They also had to be told they’d get the resources but they also needed a fair bit of pressure on them because the night of the riot, there seemed to be what I call an inappropriate relationship where police on the Coast were talking to the Sergeant-at-Arms of the group and saying, ‘what are you doing?’ sort of thing.

“I’m sorry, I have a real problem with that, the idea the police would engage in almost negotiations with people involved in a criminal enterprise. I just didn’t think it was appropriate.”

Mr Ryan said Mr Newman needed to take responsibility for the actions of his administration.

“Campbell Newman continues to make these extraordinary statements about the damage that he impacted on all Queenslanders, now he comes out and kicks them in the guts for doing their job in keeping the community safe,” he said.

Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan. Picture: Richard Walker

“He’s saying ‘Oh, don’t blame me for the bad laws of 10 years ago, blame the police for enforcing those bad laws’.

“It’s an incredible attack on the Queensland Police Service and it’s all well and good for Campbell Newman to have a carry on and say, well, 10 years ago, I would have done it differently but he made those decisions then.”

Mr Newman, speaking on the brawl anniversary, said the VLAD laws were unnecessary.

“Looking back, I just don’t believe that it was necessary,” Mr Newman said

“They also confused the issue and made for controversy that was unnecessary. The police had all the necessary tools to do the job to clean up and they had to enforce the laws as they stood, they just had to go after criminal groups.

“The VLAD laws were not required to do that and the real wins were through using the existing laws, through using the police and the Crime and Corruption Commission processes.”