Victoria Police played host to Australia's leading law enforcement outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) experts this week at the National Gang Investigator Course.
Run by National Taskforce Morpheus which Victoria Police currently leads, the 3-day course saw about 100 officers from Australia and New Zealand converge on Melbourne to learn about new and emerging trends in OMCG offending.
Funded by the Australian Federal Police, the course aims to teach the participants important skills regarding how to combat OMCG offending and creating a hostile environment that makes it difficult for these criminal groups to operate in.
Victoria Police's own bikie specialist investigation team, Echo Taskforce, was formed in 2011 to identify and investigate criminal activity undertaken by OMCGs in metropolitan and rural Victoria.
Echo members, along with police representatives from across Australia and internationally, had the opportunity to share intel and case studies, which will be instrumental in equipping investigators with the tools needed to confront the complexities of OMCG activities.
Quotes attributable to National Taskforce Operation Morpheus Chair Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly:
"It's important that courses like this are held so police across Australia and New Zealand can pursue a shared goal to not only understand the challenges posed by outlaw motorcycle gangs but also to develop an integrated law enforcement response that is proactive and effective," he said.
"Since 2014, National Taskforce Morpheus has been working to enhance coordination across jurisdictions to disrupt these sophisticated criminal networks.
"This taskforce is critical in addressing the fact that outlaw motorcycle gangs are now the largest criminal cohort in Australia, with 38 gangs and about 4500 patched members.
"Astonishingly, about one quarter to one third of organised criminals in Australia are OMCG members, and another third have connections to them."
Quotes attributable to Echo Taskforce Detective Acting Inspector Michael Daly:
"OMCGs have shown themselves to be involved in many facets of criminal offending - from violent assaults, shootings, drug trafficking, extortion and the illegal tobacco industry to name a few," he said.
"This investigator's course provided an opportunity for key stakeholders to get together to discuss events such as the police response to this weekend's Bandidos national run in the Ballarat area which these bikie groups use as a recruitment tool.
"Echo Taskforce members, along with VIPER Taskforce detectives, western region police and Taskforce Morpheus partners will collaborate to take swift action against any OMCG members who commit criminal, road safety or public order offences this weekend.
"Victoria Police is not intimated by OMCGs and we will not allow them to have an impact on community safety."
