Rebels bikie associate Manpreet Singh Sandhu loses appeal bid for security business licence

A Rebels bikie associate with a history of violence and intimidating behaviour towards the public and police has been refused a licence to start his own security business. And one of the main reasons was an incident at a Macca’s in Mulgrave.

Manpreet Singh Sandhu has been seen by police wearing Rebels bikie clothing in the company of known gang members. Generic picture

A man with links to one of Australia’s largest and most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs has been refused a licence to start his own security business.

Manpreet Singh Sandhu, who has been seen by police wearing Rebels bikie gear and hanging out with gang members, applied to Victoria Police’s licensing arm in February last year for a security business licence to start up his own security company, Metro Protective Services Pty Ltd, but was knocked back.

The licence would have allowed Mr Sandhu, who for the past decade has worked as a security guard for other companies, to provide security and crowd control services at public and private events as well as on government premises.

But Victoria Police rejected his application on the grounds he was not a “fit and proper person” to run a security company due to his bikie links, nor was it in the public interest that he hold such a licence.

Police pointed to his failure to disclose a past criminal charge for criminal damage at a McDonald’s restaurant in Mulgrave as evidence of his violent and dishonest nature as grounds why the licence should be refused.

VCAT upheld the decision on March 3 when Mr Sandhu sought an appeal.

Tribunal member Reynah Tang said Mr Sandhu’s conduct when he intimidated the McDonald’s employee in June 2017 was concerning.

The incident saw him tear off his shirt, scream at the employee and kick the restaurant’s door, causing it to shatter, because the employee asked him to pay in cash instead of using a bank card as the online system was down.

He also intimidated police along with other Rebels bikie members during a confrontation in St Kilda in November 2017, the tribunal heard.

Mr Tang said Mr Sandhu provided a vastly different version of events to the tribunal for both incidents, including that he “accidentally” kicked the restaurant door.

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He also said Mr Sandhu’s decision not to disclose the criminal damage charge in his application, even though he was not convicted of the offence, was of “significant concern”.

“His attempts to justify his actions and explain away contrary accounts given by other parties do not give me any confidence that Mr Sandhu displays the level of honesty and integrity, which are essential for those operating in the private security industry,” Mr Tang said.

“A propensity for violence … might well suggest that a person is not fit and proper to work in the security industry.”