Patched Bandido bikie sparks major police response after stopping for coffee at Nerang
- Gold Coast Bulletin
- June 16, 2014
Dickhead cops having a heart attack everytime someone spotted wearing clours in Qld now....read the law its not illegal!
No longer able to use his own clubhouse, a Bandidos member attracted the attention of police when he went for a coffee with pals in full colours at Nerang yesterday.
Multiple police units, including the dog squad, swarmed Zarraffa’s on Spencer Rd, Nerang about 10.30am after the man was spotted wearing his patches.
The rider was with a group of about four other men, who were not wearing colours, and who are believed to be members of a social riding group.
None of the men were charged and top bikie cop Superintendent Jim Keogh said the decision to wear colours was simply an attempt to prove they had not disappeared.
“They have to be in a group of more than two outlaw motorcycle gang members for it to be an offence under the new legislation,” he said.
“It is a little bit like a dog weeing in his backyard, they are marking and maintaining their territory as a show to other bikie groups.
“It is a way of them saying that albeit their numbers are into single digits and they don’t have a clubhouse, they are still alive. It is really childish stuff.”
The patched member was clearly frustrated by the attention he received, using his iPhone to capture a video of the police and media surrounding him. But Supt Keogh said any bikie who wore colours was asking to be intercepted by police.
“If they choose to wear them they will bring themselves to the attention of police and inquiries will be made to make sure they aren’t in a group of more than two,” he said.
However a friend of the group, who asked not to be named, said the wearing of colours came down to pride.
“They wear it because they are proud and they have nothing to hide,” he said.
“They aren’t trying to
cause trouble, we’re just meeting here for a
coffee before we go on our ride and then
this happens.”
And while he was angered by the new laws, the rider said everybody wanted to get rid of the bad name motorcycle gangs have received.
“We all want the bad element gone, but meeting on a Sunday is a social thing no matter who you are,” he said.