Senior Victorian police have admitted that bikie gangs have conducted a strategy of infiltrating police ranks by appealing to the criminality, naivety or sheer stupidity of young officers. If this is happening in Victoria, it is a sure bet that a similar situation exists in other state police forces.
The bikie gangs are ruthless participants of major crime. This is organised crime in Australia and it ranges from control of most of the drug trade to the theft and export of luxury cars. The gangs have poured their profits into legitimate business and these up-front operations include tattoo parlours, fitness industry gymnasiums - and night clubs.
They prey on young police who are susceptible to being groomed. Cops have a social life and for young people getting a tattoo, having entertainment at a night club or keeping their weight down offers an opportunity to use inducement to spring the trap. Perhaps it is entry to the nightclubs inner sanctum. Perhaps a sharply cut tattoo price for " one of our police brothers ". Perhaps it is the bikie club picking up the booze tab for a night out on the town. The first time a cop accepts bikie largess - the relationship has changed in the criminals favour.
Usually, edging the police victim into criminality is by way of what seems a harmless request. Perhaps it involves using the police computer system to access the address of the owner of registration plates on a vehicle. It usually takes on a darker tone and the infiltration begins to pay dividends by advance warning of coming police raids - and tip offs about where police intelligence is heading on certain investigations.
It can also put fellow police in mortal danger. Bikie gangs are into the gun culture that is rocking Sydney and if a cop working undercover is revealed, the gangs will protect their profits and associates by whatever it takes - and that includes murder. At the same time, a police investigation about to deliver dividends can be completely wrecked by a tip off !
In some countries, the police are virtually synonymous with the criminal fraternity. Citizens sometimes fear the depredations of the police more than their local criminals, and use criminal protection to keep the cops out of their neighbourhood. In Australia, the police are dependable - but it is also clear that the situation can deteriorate unless strong action is taken to draw the line between infiltration.
That is easier said than done. It is inevitable that there will be some police with latent criminal tendencies, and family matters, economic tensions and pressure from friends and relatives can push a tempted cop over that line. It is essential that our police not be underpaid - and the bar of responsibility must be set high. It must be clear from the onset that even the smallest deviation from the code of police conduct will result in instant dismissal.
The other essential requirement - is maintaining that standard. The intercession of the police union and the leniency of the judiciary often thwart the implementation of the very rules that keep our police honest. We need a clear set of rules - and while it may impede the normal social life expectations of police officers, recreational facilities with ties to bikie gangs must be a " No go " for anyone who joins the police force.
That must be a decision made - before any recruit even enters the first day at the police training academy !
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