Bikie chief Mick Hawi said he was aware members of the public were concerned for their safety, and has given his members strict orders barring them from wearing gang colours or riding their bikes.
In a statement released via his Sydney lawyer, Lesly Randle, Mr Hawi said he wanted to meet with fellow bikie leaders.
"Mr Hawi has instructed to me to inform the media that at this stage due to the concern raised by the general public ... (there will be) no riding of bikes at the moment, no wearing of colours," she told reporters.
"He has invited other persons of influence to a meeting to discuss the issues."
Mr Hawi's call for calm came as four Comancheros reappeared in Sydney's Central Local Court charged with affray over the violent bikie brawl at Sydney airport on Sunday that left 29-year-old Anthony Zervas dead.
The same incident saw Hells Angels leader Derek Wainohu stood down from his $100,000-a-year job at the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA).
Mr Wainohu was allegedly at the airport when the brawl occurred.
He was put on a good behaviour bond last year after being convicted of affray, possessing an offensive implement and using unlawful violence.
The charges related to threats made by a hammer-wielding Mr Wainohu in July last year.
Roads Minister Michael Daley said Mr Wainohu would be suspended with pay while investigations were carried out into the incident at Sydney airport on Sunday.
However, Mr Daley said an investigation had cleared concerns raised earlier by the state opposition that Mr Wainohu may have access to people's personal details, including their addresses, via the RTA database.
"The RTA has a code of conduct whereby if an employee brings the RTA into disrepute they may be subject to a disciplinary process," Mr Daley said in a statement to AAP.
"There have been no reports of incidents at work involving Mr Wainohu during his 17-year career with the RTA."
NSW is considering legislation, similar to that adopted in South Australia, making it an offence to be part of an outlaw motorcycle gang.
The legislation would also restrict what types of jobs bikie gang members can have.
Premier Nathan Rees said he did not envisage the RTA becoming a prohibited employer, saying it was not a "high-risk job" like a security guard or a bouncer.
Meanwhile, the federal opposition says cutbacks to sky marshals are to blame for a fatal bikie brawl at Sydney Airport.
Opposition justice and customs spokeswoman Sussan Ley says the brawl could have been prevented if a sky marshal was aboard the flight, and was able to warn Australian Federal Police before passengers alighted.
"If a sky marshal had been on the flight when the bikies were causing alarm to passengers on Sunday, they could have picked up on their behaviour and intervened early to prevent the situation deteriorating," Ms Ley said in a statement.
The sky marshal program, introduced by the Howard government in 2001, has weathered budget cutbacks.
"The Rudd Labor has cut the number of sky marshals patrolling flights and keeping Australians safe in our skies and our airports," Ms Ley said.
The coalition has called on the government to restore sky marshal numbers and increase funding to the AFP and the Australian Crime Commission.
It is a well known fact that criminals occupy 'positions of authority'. The government 'justifies' this by saying that 'strict' laws a put in place, but in reality they are INEFFECTIVE .
No comments:
Post a Comment