Looks the same as an article from last
October....28/9 Organised
crime
Drug trade top crime
menace
By Martin Chulov
June 20, 2005
From:
GANGS dealing in amphetamines and other synthetic drugs pose the biggest
organised criminal threat to the nation, the Australian Crime Commission has
found.
The peak
organised-crime fighting body believes the sustained surge in amphetamine
gangs is a "very dangerous situation for the community, with an enormous
social impact".
The ACC has identified 97 entrenched criminal gangs in Australia, 32 of
which it describes as of "high threat" to economic and social welfare. Most
of the high-threat gangs are involved in making or importing drugs in the
eastern states.
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Ten of the high-risk gangs are in Sydney and eight are believed to be
operating in Melbourne.
The warning from ACC
chief executive Alastair Milroy comes as some states challenge the output of
the body remodelled three years ago to tackle the rapidly changing nature of
organised crime.
Senior law enforcement
figures in NSW and Queensland believe the ACC has done little other than
identify threats, and relies almost completely on state police forces, the
Tax Office, Customs and ASIO, to start criminal investigations.
"They are doing
reasonably well within the constraints of their resources," said one state
government figure. "But there is a belief that they are neglecting their
core function: actually doing something about the organised crime they
identify."
The concerns have in
part prompted an expedited review of the law governing the role of the ACC,
which will be brought forward six months to start later this year.
The review will be
conducted by a parliamentary joint committee, with input from state and
federal police, welfare bodies and senior government ministers, including
John Howard.
Justice Minister Chris
Ellison defended the ACC, arguing it performed its two core functions well,
as a facilitator of criminal investigation priorities, and provider of
coercive powers that compel witnesses to answer questions or face jail.
Senator Ellison said
he "totally disagreed" with the assessment by NSW and Queensland, insisting
he was happy with the ACC's work.
"They provide the
picture of criminality across the country," he said.
"Those jurisdictions
that are complaining have their police commissioners on the board. And they
have the numbers."
Senator Ellison said
the federal government agencies had only five ACC board members, while the
Labor-governed states had eight.
Mr Milroy confirmed
the ACC had recently focused on alleged Russian mafia groups and would
report to its board next month on the prevalence of figures linked to the
global syndicate, renowned for sophisticated money laundering and their
violence.
However, he said
amphetamines syndicates, with strong links to outlaw motorcycle gangs, were
top of the organisation's hit list.
"They make significant
profits and there continues to be a surge in the numbers of amphetamine
labs," he said.
Mr Milroy said 83 per
cent of the ACC's work was done jointly with states and territories, or the
Tax Office. Most was in response to concerns raised by them and a
determination that the crime identified could not be tackled with
traditional policing.
The ACC is conducting
four special investigations: money laundering and tax fraud, firearms
trafficking, entrenched criminal networks and organised crime gangs in
Victoria.
Mr Milroy said 32
gangs had been dismantled in the past three years as a result of ACC
operations with other agencies.
.
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