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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-03-05 Daily Xml
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CRIME GANGS TASK FORCE

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:39): My question is to the Leader of the Government and Minister for Police. Will the minister provide the chamber with details of the success of the Crime Gangs Task Force established by South Australia Police?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The Crime Gang Task Force was formed to take over from the highly successful Operation Avatar which targeted the criminal bikie gangs and which resulted in hundreds of arrests and the seizure of millions of dollars worth of drugs, drug-making equipment and the proceeds of bikie gang criminal activities.

The new task force consists of 44 sworn officers led by Superintendent Desmond Bray, who reports directly to the Assistant Commissioner of Crime Service. It comprises investigators, general duties police, traffic motorcycle officers, and other specialist police resources as determined necessary to ensure that it has a robust disruption focus together with an ability to target both mid and high-level criminal investigation. Since the formation of the Crime Gangs Task Force, several major operations have been launched, and I would like to outline just a few of those successful operations and their outcomes.

On Monday 29 October 2007, 120 detectives and uniformed officers from across the metropolitan area searched 25 homes belonging to outlaw motorcycle gang members or associates, targeting illicit drug production and trafficking and illegal possession of firearms. Police located cannabis crops, cannabis prepared for sale, amphetamines, steroids, rifles, a number of loaded pistols, cash, and a clandestine laboratory. There were five apprehensions for offences for drug production and trafficking and illegal firearms possession.

On 17 November 2007, the Crime Gangs Task Force arrested members of a street gang after locating them in possession of several thousand tablets of the drug ecstasy. On 7 December 2007, a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang and two associates were arrested for attempted murder and other serious offences stemming from a home invasion where a man tending a commercial hydroponics cannabis crop was shot. The three men had attended the premises to steal the cannabis and shot the victim in the stomach with a pistol.

On 5 December 2007, the Crime Gangs Task Force, STAR Group, metropolitan police and officers from the North-East, Far North and Mid-West local services areas launched Operation Spencer in the Upper Spencer Gulf. The first tactical phase of this operation occurred on 13 December 2007, when 16 premises were searched at Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla, resulting in the seizure of amphetamine and equipment for making amphetamine, cannabis, ecstasy, firearms, and other drug paraphernalia.

Associates of outlaw motorcycle gangs were arrested for manufacturing and possessing amphetamines for sale, possession of firearms, and other offences. On Monday 7 January 2008, officers from the task force and other metropolitan areas launched a series of raids on houses occupied by outlaw motorcycle gang members, associates and a clubhouse. Police seized six pistols, together with ammunition, firearm parts, a ballistic vest, a baton, and small amounts of ecstasy, amphetamine, cannabis and prescription drugs, and charged five members of the outlaw motorcycle gang with firearms and property offences.

As a result of the crime stoppers phone-in on 29 and 30 January 2008, two outlaw motorcycle gang members were arrested for trafficking amphetamines. Two associates were arrested for firearm offences, an associate arrested for trafficking amphetamines, and a fourth associate was arrested for a significant cannabis crop involving 43 cannabis plants. Investigations are continuing in respect of the 135 actions that have been issued for investigation.

On the evening of Friday 15 February 2008, 47 police officers, including the Crime Gangs Task Force, Licensing Enforcement Branch, STAR group and officers from Southern Operations Service, attended and searched the Rebels clubhouse at Old Noarlunga for firearms and evidence of selling liquor without a licence issued pursuant to the Liquor Licensing Act. Police found two loaded semi-automatic pistols, up to $3,000 worth of alcohol, $480 cash, evidence of liquor sales and three ecstasy tablets.

On Saturday/Sunday 16 and 17 February 2008, 30 officers from the Crime Gangs Task Force, Hills Murray Local Service Area, STAR Group, SOS Tactical Unit and SOS Traffic were involved in policing of the Ponde Sand Drags at Mannum. Police undertook 157 alcohol tests, reported three people for traffic offences, issued six defects, and seized one gram of amphetamines.

All in all, these operations are a very encouraging beginning for the new Crime Gangs Task Force. SAPOL and the Rann Labor government are continuing to take the fight to these criminal gangs, which will ultimately eliminate their ability to fight us.

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