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Articles on Bikies

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A change in investigative and policing strategy is needed if the Queensland government is to win the so-called ‘bikie wars’. AAP/Paul Miller

The end justifies the means: why Queensland is losing the bikie war

Three months into the campaign by the Queensland government against outlaw motorcycle gangs, some meaningful analysis of the effectiveness and justification for the unprecedented measures is possible…
Recent protests against Queensland’s anti-bikie laws will find no comfort in previous court rulings that uphold legislators’ power to infringe freedom of association. AAP/Kym Agius

Bikie laws fall foul of law of unintended consequences

This week in Brisbane, police charged five Victorian men under Queensland anti-bikie legislation, which makes it an offence for gang members to congregate in groups. But do we actually enjoy freedom of…
It’s set to be a big few months for the High Court of Australia. What are the key cases to watch? petelawley

The High Court – coming to a Centre Stage near you

In coming months, the High Court – the highest court in Australia and the final arbiter on the meaning of the Constitution – will decide several high-profile cases. These decisions, which may result in…
The new laws against bikie gangs in Queensland are meant to be ‘tough’ but will innocent riders be affected? AAP image

FactCheck: will the Queensland bikie laws affect innocent riders?

“This legislation will target only criminal motorcycle gang members. Other law abiding motorbike riders have nothing to worry about,” Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie, press release, October…
Should it be the role of the Constitution to protect individual rights from being trampled on, such as by Queensland’s newly-introduced anti-bikie legislation? AAP/Dan Peled

Bikies crackdown: did the Constitution fail Queensland?

Last week, Queensland’s state government introduced a number of tough new law and order measures targeting serious sexual offenders and bikies. Under the new laws, bikie gang members in Queensland face…
In Queensland, the Finks motorcycle gang are among those in the gun of police, the state government, the media and the public. AAP/Joe Castro

A phony war: bikies aren’t the only problem on Queensland’s Glitter Strip

Bikies have become the poster boys of crime in Queensland. In the past week we’ve seen the announcement of a spartan, bikies-only jail likened to Guantanamo Bay, tough new laws rushed through a marathon…
Australian motorcycle gang the Finks are expected to merge with US group the Mongols. Does this represent a new ‘corporatised’ world of organised crime? AAP/Eric Sands

Murders and acquisitions: the corporatisation of global organised crime

In the world of illegal markets and organised crime, money is the prime mover. Legal or not, if someone’s willing to buy, odds are someone else is willing to supply. In the two decades or so since the…
Organised crime is a ‘market’ for illicit goods and services just as any other market, and should be treated as such, according to a new ACC report. AAP/Paul Miller

It’s the (illegal) economy, stupid: the ACC on organised crime

We all know how organised crime works, right? Form a shadowy group (think the Japanese Yakuza, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, the Sinaloa Cartel, an outlaw motorcycle gang - take your pick), preferably one…
Victoria Police arrest a Hells Angels member. Links between bikies and police have come under intense scrutiny after a series of leaks from inside the police. AAP/Julian Smith

Police corruption: we should focus on the ranks, not the rats

A police officer meets someone in a bar, one thing leads to another and within a few weeks a relationship blossoms. The officer then discovers that the person’s brother is a known criminal. Or an officer…
We need to look beyond bikies for a solution to tackle organised crime in Australia. AAP/NSW Police

Targeting bikies won’t fix organised crime

Last week, the High Court upheld Queensland’s controversial criminal association laws, which had been challenged by the Gold Coast Chapter of the Finks Motor Cycle Club and Pompano Pty Ltd. The challenge…
Now jailed former assistant director of the New South Wales Crime Commission Mark Standen is a key example of how corruption operates in Australia. AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Corrupting influences: does Australia need a National Integrity Commissioner?

The Australian Greens have proposed the introduction of a National Integrity Commission to provide an anti-corruption body operating at the federal level. Earlier this week, Greens MP Adam Bandt announced…
Bikie gang members in Adelaide last year protesting about laws aimed at breaking their organisations. AAP

National bikie gang laws: the wrong approach

Police across Australia have called for a uniform national law to deal with what they say is a severe criminal threat by outlaw motorcycle gangs. The law would be similar to legislation in South Australia…

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