Victoria Police’s new squad to crackdown on illegal gun supplies
A NEW crack squad of detectives will trace the origins of firearms to find gun traffickers and get illegal weapons off our streets.
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A NEW crack squad of detectives will trace the origins of firearms to find gun traffickers and get illegal weapons off our streets.
The 10-man squad’s remit will be to investigate how criminals get their hands on weapons.
The squad — split into two teams within the Armed Crime Squad — will not only investigate trafficking routes but also potentially backyard manufacturing of weapons and emerging technologies to produce guns — like 3D printing.
In the past year police have confiscated military-style weapons banned in Australia — like the AR15 assault rifle and the AK47.
This year alone there has been 34 non-fatal shootings alone — often those involved are in organised or drug crime and victims are uncooperative with police.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said the focus on the squad was to get illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals.
“Some of the concerning things we are seeing is that you have evidence of more military-style guns that can do significant damage and harm in our community,” Ms Neville said.
She said a suite of legislative changes, to be introduced this year, including firearms prohibition orders and drive by shooting laws, will give police more powers to deal with gun crime.
Previously police had not had the resources to discover the origins of weapons and how criminals get guns.
Armed Crime squad Detective Inspector Stephen Clark said the two crews would form partnership with police forces internationally, with federal law enforcement and other state police forces.
He said now at non-fatal shootings one crew would investigate the actual offence while this team will try to reveal the story of the gun itself.
“Like where have they come from, what is their point of origin and trying to stop the supply of firearms into the illicit marketplace in the first place.”
