POLICE — OUTLAW
MOTORCYCLE GANGS — TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
1152. Hon CHARLES SMITH to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I refer to Friday, 11 October when
parts of Reid Highway were closed off with traffic control lights set to green
so that bikie gang members could have free rein of the road.
(1) Why did the
police inconvenience law-abiding citizens and give criminal gangs special
treatment above ordinary law-abiding road users?
(2) How much did
giving special treatment to criminal gangs cost the taxpayer?
(3) How many
police officers were involved in giving criminal gangs special treatment?
(4) Why does the
government side with criminals over law-abiding Western Australians?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by
the Minister for Police.
The premise of the member's
questions is rejected. The Western Australia Police Force advises the
following.
(1) Historical
incidents involving attendees at outlaw motorcycle gang funerals resulted in
the Western Australia Police Force designing and applying traffic management
plans that ensure that funeral attendees comply with traffic laws. The plans
aim to mitigate the risk of conflict between funeral attendees and other road
users, to minimise disruption to other road users and, most importantly, to
ensure the safety of the community. When considering the risk to the community,
the WA Police Force made the decision to manage the group's travel from
Kenwick to Pinnaroo. In doing so, police were able to influence the routes
taken, minimising disruption, inconvenience and risk to the community.
(2) Officers
performed duties during their normal business hours, without incurring overtime
or other penalty payments.
(3) A total of 55
police officers were deployed, with the majority being sourced from the gang
crime squad and other serious and organised crime division squads.
(4) As the honourable member should be aware, the Western
Australia Police Force makes decisions regarding operational strategies
without government interference. The Western Australia Police Force applies a consistent and zero-tolerance approach to the
management of activities and movements of OMCGs in Western Australia to detect,
deter and disrupt any unlawful and illicit activity of OMCG members and associates.