Brazen bikies taunt Strike Force Raptor to consort in the ACT and post a group photo to Instagram
But the absence of anti-consorting laws — used so effectively by Strike Force Raptor to upset bikies’ criminal syndicates in NSW — in the national capital has made Canberra the go-to destination for outlaw motorcycle gangs.
It is understood Sydney bikies are even going so far as to load their motorcycles onto trucks and shipping them to the Australian Capital Territory so they can ride together during visits to hold meetings and plot business.
Tajjour posted a photo of his gang at a tourist spot overlooking Canberra to Instagram on Sunday, along with a video clip.
“Malcolm Turnbull we came to Canberra to say ‘bye to ya,’’ Tajjour said, in a reference to the leadership spill last Friday that ousted Mr Turnbull as prime minister.
It’s understood ACT police stopped the group and spoke to them before letting them ride on.
“There is no way they would get away with taking a photo like that or riding around in Sydney,’’ a senior NSW cop told The Daily Telegraph.
“Strike Force Raptor would be all over them.’’
Canberra has become a safe haven for bikies since tough anti-consorting laws were introduced in NSW in 2013 after a spate of violent crime by gangs.
From having just one gang in 2014 the capital now has four — and regular visits from out-of-town crews.
The rise in gangs and violent acts led top ACT cop Justine Saunders to say she was kept up at night by fears an innocent person would be a victim of bikie violence.
“You have the ACT Chief Police Officer … agreeing she fears innocent victims from bikie violence, and also that organised crime groups like OMCGs are coming,” ACT opposition legal spokesman Jeremy Hanson said. “We need to have consorting laws here to prevent the growth of bikies before someone is killed,’’ he said.
His bid to introduce anti-consorting laws was defeated by the ALP-controlled government.
A spokesman said the ACT government had strengthened police powers to target criminal gangs.
But it did not support anti-consorting laws because they could have a “disproportionate impact” on vulnerable members of our society”.