Tough new gun orders are taking weapons off our streets

A crackdown on guns has curbed the influence of Victoria’s bikie gangs, with more than 1000 criminals now slapped with tough weapons bans.

More than 1000 criminals have been hit with tough new gun orders aimed at stemming Victoria’s shooting scourge.

Senior police have hailed the use of firearm prohibition orders and their impact on criminals’ behaviour as a big factor in a steep drop in shootings since 2015.

In that year there were 58 non-fatal shootings, but the number so far this year is 11.

FPOs, which allow searches of properties and vehicles without a warrant, were hailed as a game-changer against organised crime when introduced in 2018. They have since been used to confiscate 116 guns.

Senior Rebels bikie Colin Websdale made a successful court challenge against his FPO. Picture: Ian Currie

Outlaw motorcycle gang members make up 134 of the total of 1038 slapped with the orders, while Middle Eastern organised crime identities have also been hit hard by the anti-gun powers.

Middle Eastern crime figures, in particular, had been linked to a large number of non-fatal shootings in Melbourne’s northern suburbs but that number has decreased significantly in recent years.

Police say some criminals have become so eager to avoid being served with an FPO that they have avoided the law, leading to the use of the fugitive squad to track them down.

They say FPO searches have exposed the direct connection between illegal gun ownership and the drug trade.

Drugs including ice, cocaine and heroin were found in 87 per cent of searches made using FPO powers.

“There is a strong linkage with drugs,” Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham of the Victoria Police anti-gangs division said.

The FPO rollout hit a snag when former Rebels bikie boss Colin “Snake” Websdale made a successful court challenge against his, but that decision was later overturned.

President of the Mongols bikie gang, Toby Mitchell, signalled he wanted to fight his firearms order. Picture: Ian Currie

Mongols strongman Toby Mitchell and Koshan Radford of the Finks had signalled they wanted to fight their orders, but have since withdrawn.

Since then, the imposition of the orders has accelerated and moved from being a tool of specialist crime squads to one being used by regional units. Often this is to disarm men with a history of violence against women.

Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said reaching 1000 FPOs was a milestone for the force.

“We now have over 1000 people who have a history of serious and ­violent offending and are subject to even greater levels of scrutiny when it comes to illicit firearms,” Mr Hill said. “Violent criminals accessing ­illicit firearms is a recipe for disaster and often ends in tragedy. We need to do everything we can to separate the two.”

Mr Hill said there had been 1389 applications for FPOs to be served, meaning not all were successful.

Weapons seized under firearms prohibition orders.

“We do respect the fact we’ve got significant authority and we won’t exploit that authority,” he said.

Police say there have been instances of suspects getting rid of their weapons before an FPO is served and a search made.

Detective Inspector Michael Daly, who leads the force’s new illicit firearms unit, worked with Mr Hill from southern metro region headquarters last year, preparing FPOs as the orders were more broadly adopted. He said there was high awareness among criminals of the kind of impact they could have.

“They are becoming more aware of these powers and the repercussions for them,” Inspector Daly said.

Homes can be searched on the day an FPO is served and police members frequently conduct random follow-up visits to look for guns.

All firearms seized are taken away for forensic examination to try and establish their history and assess potential links to any crimes.

Koshan Radford wanted to fight his firearms order.

THE FIREARM FILES

SUBURBAN STASH 

Eastern region crime squad officers running operation Oceania last year arrested four men, three of whom were the subject of FPOs.

They then made the biggest seizure yet under FPO provisions, confiscating five guns, 1.7kg of a substance suspected of being crystal methamphetamine, and $100,000 in cash.

Special Operations Group officers arrested the men outside a home in Sonia Ct, Werribee. The FPOs on three of the men permitted a search of the property, where an Adler B2-30 semiautomatic shotgun, an Adler A1-10 lever action shotgun, a loaded Beretta Tomcat pistol, a scoped rifle and a shotgun were allegedly uncovered.

Three were charged with drug trafficking, and gun and FPO-related offences.

BIKIE’S BURG LINK

Armed crime squad detectives probed a non-fatal shooting at Melton in February, 2019.

They identified two suspects, a Rebels bikie and another serious violent offender who had been previously served with FPOs.

Through searches under FPO provisions, police uncovered a .22 calibre revolver and a .38 calibre revolver, ammunition, GHB and heroin. They were then able to link the pair to armed robberies, aggravated burglaries and other offences.

IN THEIR SIGHTS 

A shotgun was used to menace a victim in a road rage attack at Clifton Springs in January last year.

Police saw the gunman’s vehicle in East Geelong soon after and later saw it parked outside a Newcomb address.

A shotgun, ammunition and stolen number plates were inside the car.

Investigators spoke to a woman at the property and, given permission to search, subsequently found John Rieck hiding in the garage.

He admitted the road rage and directed police to the loaded shotgun and a bag containing cannabis and methylamphetamine.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA 

In October last year, police tried several times to serve an FPO on Luke Debono’s Cobblebank parole address.

They later found him at a Maribyrnong property, served the FPO and made a search.

Five days later, local detectives used a warrant to seize CCTV footage allegedly showing Debono buying a semiautomatic handgun.

He was arrested with the help of the SOG; a search of his BMW found a purpose-built hiding place under the dash containing two 9mm rounds.

Debono was remanded for breaching his FPO and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. A CZ-85 weapon with no serial number was later surrendered to the illicit firearms unit.

LOADED WITH DRUGS 

An FPO served on a Mill Park man in February led to a major haul of drugs. The recipient had a criminal history including serious assault and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

A search of his home found 20kg of cannabis, 50g of amphetamines and two guns.

HEFTY HAUL 

Police arrived at the Lalor home of a man with a long criminal history, including attempted murder, intentionally causing serious injury and drug offending.

They served an FPO then searched the property and the man’s vehicle. They found two loaded rifles, two imitation firearms and ammunition.

WHAT’S COOKING? 

A man in Epping was hit with an FPO because of his history of kidnapping, assault, intentionally causing injury, drug trafficking and weapons offences.

After the FPO was served, his home was searched and 1.7 litres of 1,4-butanediol, an industrial chemical sold as drugs, was found.

Methylamphetamine and a gun barrel were also found.

MATTRESS PROTECTOR 

Police at Mildura served an FPO on a local man with a long history of firearm-related crime.

The man had prior convictions for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possessing ammunition, shortening the barrel of a long-arm and altering gun identification.

A search revealed two sawn-off shotguns under his bed.

IS THAT A BERETTA? 

A MAN was found with a pistol down the front of his pants after police served an FPO on him at Ferntree Gully. Beyond the Beretta pistol in his pants, a search after serving the FPO uncovered a single-barrel sawn-off, nine imitation firearms, other gun paraphernalia and crossbows and daggers.

SECOND TIME LUCKY 

An iillicit firearms unit search netted a rifle, two revolvers, ammunition and drugs.

The IFU made the follow-up visit in May this year on the man, who had a history of violent crime, gun offending and drug crimes. The IFU later found the rifle had been stolen in a burglary three years earlier.

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