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Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Further funds to battle bikies

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SIMON Corbell says an additional $6.4 million from the ACT Government for Taskforce Nemesis will increase its investigation team and improve surveillance capabilities as ACT Policing steps up its fight against organised crime in Canberra.

Simon said the funding would result in an extra 8 dedicated taskforce members ensuring that ACT Policing could effectively target organised crime without diverting existing frontline police resources.

“The money will assist ACT Policing to intensively target organised crime and criminal wealth, to prevent reinvestment of profits in future criminal ventures,” Simon said.

“The new members will work with the existing team to monitor, disrupt, investigate and charge members of outlaw motorcycle gangs involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, firearm offences, money laundering, extortion and serious assaults.

“The ACT Government takes the issue of OMCG activity very seriously and recognises that ACT Policing must have effective resources to ensure the safety and protection of the ACT community.

“The additional funding will expand Taskforce Nemesis on an ongoing basis. The Chief Police Officer for the ACT Assistant Commissioner Rudi Lammers will progress the expansion of the taskforce from September 2016.”

The additional staff will include:

  • two additional investigators to bolster capacity and the efficiency of investigations;
  • two additional intelligence officers;
  • one forensic accountant to investigate and analyse the finances of outlaw motorcycle gang members and other organised crime groups to identify any criminal offending and/or assets available for confiscation;
  • two additional investigators within the Criminal Assets Investigation Team to bolster capacity to investigate, collate evidence and prepare affidavits in support of confiscation proceedings; and
  • one additional investigative assistant to support criminal and civil investigations and monitoring of surveillance capability.

“The funding will also provide for the purchase of a range of physical and electronic capabilities to support ACT Policing to update the technology it uses to keep pace with criminal organisations and align policing surveillance capabilities with best practice models,” Simon said.

Assistant Commissioner Lammers said the funding would provide ACT Policing with the opportunity to build on the already impressive results of Taskforce Nemesis over the past two years.

“Since its inception, Taskforce Nemesis has been responsible for putting more than 58 OMCG members before the court for a total of 169 offences,” Assistant Commissioner Lammers said.

“This, along with the seizure of various illicit drugs, weapons and cash, has disrupted OMCG operations in Canberra. We are keen to further these results as we increase the capacity and capabilities of the taskforce.”

[Photo via wikipedia]

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