❓ The Minister for Police provides an update on the firearm prohibition orders, detailing their implementation, impact on firearm seizures, and the government's strategy to combat organised crime and drug trafficking, while also criticising the opposition's past stance on the legislation.
AnsweredQoN 770Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ORGANISED CRIME AND OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANGS
770. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented efforts to crack down on organised crime and outlaw motorcycle
gangs.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the first round of firearm prohibition orders
have kept guns out of the hands of organised crime figures and domestic
violence offenders?
(2) Can the minister
outline to the house how these orders are making our suburbs and streets safer?
770. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented efforts to crack down on organised crime and outlaw motorcycle
gangs.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the first round of firearm prohibition orders
have kept guns out of the hands of organised crime figures and domestic
violence offenders?
(2) Can the minister
outline to the house how these orders are making our suburbs and streets safer?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question and his fulsome support
of the Western Australia Police Force, particularly in his own patch of
Forrestfield.
(1)–(2)
I can tell the member that the first round of firearm prohibition orders have
been served on some of the highest-profile organised crime participants, the
outlaw motorcycle gang leadership in Western Australia and some of our worst
domestic violence offenders.
On
21 November, the gang crime squad served 15 notices on people in Western Australia
and another six on people in other jurisdictions. These orders are
serious. It means, of course, that the people who receive a firearm prohibition
order can no longer be anywhere near a firearm. They cannot have a licensed firearm, cannot be near a firearm, cannot be in a place
where it is expected there might be a firearm and cannot be with anyone
else who has a firearm. That means that on the day, some 12 firearms were
removed from people. They were seized by police. Six of them were licensed to
one individual and another six to partners or family members of others who were
served with firearm prohibition orders. From now on, the people who received
these firearm prohibition orders are subject to search without warrant at any
time. They can be stopped and have their vehicle, the people with them, their
home or their place of employment searched
to confirm that they are not carrying firearms and they are not with someone who has a firearm.
That
is a very serious matter. It is a very serious power, but it targets them for a
very serious reason. In March last year, the Commissioner of Police and
the Deputy Commissioner of Police came to the government and told us that
during COVID, they learnt that we can stop meth coming into Western Australia.
It is brought here and distributed by outlaw motorcycle gangs—organised
criminals. It does the most harm. In 2020, when the borders were closed tightly
and everyone entering was met by a police officer, meth consumption in Western Australia dropped by over 50 per cent. Crime went
down by a commensurate level . There was about a 41 per cent drop in
crime. A lot of the damage done in Western Australia can be traced to meth. If
we can stop meth coming into the state and being distributed by the people who
bring it here, we can have a serious impact. That is the intent.
At the end of the media conference
this morning, I reflected on how it has been received. It has been universally
commended or accepted as positive by those present. At the time, I was thinking
it probably would be universally recognised
as a good thing by people across the state, with the exception of those who had received an FPO, I imagine. Then I thought
there are probably some other parties in Western Australia who might not
be as supportive or receptive. I remember when we brought this legislation to Parliament. Not so much in this house, but in the other
place the opposition—the Liberal Party and the Nationals W A—sought
to delay the passage of the legislation for no other reason than to get to the
end of the sitting week and go into a recess
of six weeks so that it would delay these laws and the regulations being
delivered to the state. The Liberal and National Parties of Western Australia
are probably, with the bikies and some of these FDV offenders, the only people
who did not accept and did not support the legislation.
I know that is the case because
only last week the Liberal Party was writing op-eds that referred to the
exorbitant amount of time I spend beating up on bikies as being a bad thing. I hope
that now we have served these orders, the Liberal and National Parties—the
opposition in Western Australia—might reflect on their behaviour and contemplate which side they are going to support
in the future as we pursue disrupting the bikies and the harm that they
do to our community.
of the Western Australia Police Force, particularly in his own patch of
Forrestfield.
(1)–(2)
I can tell the member that the first round of firearm prohibition orders have
been served on some of the highest-profile organised crime participants, the
outlaw motorcycle gang leadership in Western Australia and some of our worst
domestic violence offenders.
On
21 November, the gang crime squad served 15 notices on people in Western Australia
and another six on people in other jurisdictions. These orders are
serious. It means, of course, that the people who receive a firearm prohibition
order can no longer be anywhere near a firearm. They cannot have a licensed firearm, cannot be near a firearm, cannot be in a place
where it is expected there might be a firearm and cannot be with anyone
else who has a firearm. That means that on the day, some 12 firearms were
removed from people. They were seized by police. Six of them were licensed to
one individual and another six to partners or family members of others who were
served with firearm prohibition orders. From now on, the people who received
these firearm prohibition orders are subject to search without warrant at any
time. They can be stopped and have their vehicle, the people with them, their
home or their place of employment searched
to confirm that they are not carrying firearms and they are not with someone who has a firearm.
That
is a very serious matter. It is a very serious power, but it targets them for a
very serious reason. In March last year, the Commissioner of Police and
the Deputy Commissioner of Police came to the government and told us that
during COVID, they learnt that we can stop meth coming into Western Australia.
It is brought here and distributed by outlaw motorcycle gangs—organised
criminals. It does the most harm. In 2020, when the borders were closed tightly
and everyone entering was met by a police officer, meth consumption in Western Australia dropped by over 50 per cent. Crime went
down by a commensurate level . There was about a 41 per cent drop in
crime. A lot of the damage done in Western Australia can be traced to meth. If
we can stop meth coming into the state and being distributed by the people who
bring it here, we can have a serious impact. That is the intent.
At the end of the media conference
this morning, I reflected on how it has been received. It has been universally
commended or accepted as positive by those present. At the time, I was thinking
it probably would be universally recognised
as a good thing by people across the state, with the exception of those who had received an FPO, I imagine. Then I thought
there are probably some other parties in Western Australia who might not
be as supportive or receptive. I remember when we brought this legislation to Parliament. Not so much in this house, but in the other
place the opposition—the Liberal Party and the Nationals W A—sought
to delay the passage of the legislation for no other reason than to get to the
end of the sitting week and go into a recess
of six weeks so that it would delay these laws and the regulations being
delivered to the state. The Liberal and National Parties of Western Australia
are probably, with the bikies and some of these FDV offenders, the only people
who did not accept and did not support the legislation.
I know that is the case because
only last week the Liberal Party was writing op-eds that referred to the
exorbitant amount of time I spend beating up on bikies as being a bad thing. I hope
that now we have served these orders, the Liberal and National Parties—the
opposition in Western Australia—might reflect on their behaviour and contemplate which side they are going to support
in the future as we pursue disrupting the bikies and the harm that they
do to our community.
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