Bikie gangs face unprecedented action from biggest operation in national history

Operation Morpheus will target the increasing number of bikie gangs and members posing the highest risk to the community through their violent and criminal activities.

Besides using traditional policing methods and tactics to detect criminal offending and disrupt their activities, gang members will also be subject to intense scrutiny from agencies including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Social Security Department.

Nationally, there are about 4500 patched bikie gang members across 180 chapters.

Operation Morpheus, which involves every Australian police jurisdiction, has just been endorsed by the board of the Australian Crime Commission. Its considerable powers — including coercive hearings — will be used as integral tools in the unprecedented operation.

The new operation is modelled on Operation Attero, a national taskforce that has focused solely on the Rebels bikie gang over the past two years with considerable success. It has resulted in about 3000 people being arrested or reported for more than 4200 charges and resulted in the recovery of more than $15 million from gang members following tax audits.

 

ACC chief executive officer Chris Dawson yesterday said Operation Morpheus demonstrated “there is an absolute unity at board level for a collaborative, joined approach in dealing with bikies’’.

He said the gangs remained one of the largest organised crime threats within Australia and he was concerned at the national increase in gang membership.

“They are certainly one of the more significant criminal fraternities that we have in Australia, but that is also a trend we have seen internationally,’’ he said.

“I don’t think we should move away from the issue there are now currently 38 different OMCGs operating in Australia.

“We have seen a growth, which I put down largely to the profits that can be generated, particularly through drug distribution and other also crime types which often have the fronts of legitimate business efforts but in fact they are organised crime.’’

Mr Dawson believed all gang members should be concerned when they learn of the new operation and “should also seriously consider whether they want to remain prime targets for law enforcement.’’

And he warned that Operation Morpheus would also target professionals, such as accountants and lawyers, who assisted gang members in their activities.

“I am overtly saying to those members and associates, you will be subject to targeting,’’ he said.

“That is a clear part of the effort ahead of us.’’

 

Operation Morpheus has been established by the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee, which is comprised of assistant commissioners of crime from all Australian policing jurisdictions and senior representatives from the ACC, Australian Federal Police, the ATO and Customs.

The targets of Operation Morpheus will be decided by each jurisdiction, initially by the risk they pose to the community, but there will be coordinated actions against some key targets around the nation.

Originally published as National operation targets bikies