 Okay, thank you for your attendance this afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon, State Crime Operations Command, Detective Inspector Gary Watts, the Officer in Charge of Task Force Hydra. Queensland Police Service has today filed an application in the Supreme Court under the Criminal Organization Act 2009 to make a declaration that the Gold Coast Finks Motorcycle Club is a criminal organisation. This legislation seeks to disrupt and dismantle the activities of criminal organisations involved in criminal activities and who present an unacceptable risk to the community of Queensland. Queensland Police Service remains committed to utilising whatever resources are necessary to ensure that these individuals and groups are identified and that they are brought to task in relation to their criminal activity. This application is a result of extensive work by members of Task Force Hydra and other police officers throughout a state of Queensland over the past three years. The application is a comprehensive and lengthy process and requires significant resources to remit the requirements and threshold of the legislation. The application is part of a wider law enforcement strategy to identify criminal organisations committing serious criminal activity that, as I said, enhances the safety of Queensland. The application today should serve as a clear message to outlaw motorcycle gangs and other criminal organisations who are committing serious criminal activity and placing the community at risk that we will not hesitate to use the powers of this legislation to bring these people to account. Happy to take questions. There's two stages. The first stage is to make application to declare the particular group a criminal organisation. After that point, there is a further process where individuals within the organisation who we identify as being a serious risk to the community are then identified where we make application for what is called an order. That's correct. It could mean that should the courts support our application that first of all the Fink's Gold Coast chapter will be declared a criminal organisation and secondly, individuals and possibly past members associated with the club or involved in the club could have orders placed against them. The ultimate aim is to disrupt and dismantle individuals within the criminal organisation who conduct themselves in criminal activities that place a risk to the community. Well there's no real provision as I understand as to where they go. The orders should they be executed will provide certain requirements under the act in relation to what they can and can't do. What sort of things? Prevention of association, shutting down clubhouses. In relation to that point that the conditions can be attached to the control orders include prohibiting controlled persons associated with other members of the organisation, prohibiting those members from possessing weapons, recruiting members to join the organisation, applying for specific employment such as security, being granted access to stated premises such as clubhouse or premises within the community. If a person breaches these control orders they could face up to five years in prison. So basically anything that they do in their normal daily going around now will become illegal going to their clubhouse meeting their mates and trying to recruit new members. That's correct. And what you said previously about past members so will this apply retrospectively? The act is designed to address the current and past member activity. So people who have previously been affiliated could be under if this goes through the Supreme Court disapprove it could go back and get them the things that they've already done. If the courts decide that that's the extent of the orders that's correct. How long do you think you'll be before you get the power structure in the second state to start moving on? Well that's unknown. The matter was filed today. We're really now waiting on the actions of the defence who may engage the Finks Gold Coast Chapter. Why be singled out the Finks as opposed to other groups? As you be aware the legislation is designed to look at criminal organisations involved in serious criminal activity that pose a risk to the community. It was our view that the Finks Gold Coast Chapter pose a great risk to the community supported by the criminal activity that members of that group have been involved in over many years such as offences of murder, extortion, robbery, burglary, stalking, deprivation of liberty, drug trafficking and lawful use of motor vehicles, possession of firearms and intimidation and standover tactics. Clearly these offences and activities of the community will not stand for and in our view they pose a great risk to the community. Have you got any other ungangs in the site? Are you working on the double process with any other gangs? I'm not able to make comment on that particular question. Has it been too lengthy the process? Is the legislation too difficult for you? You said it's been taken about three years. No we don't believe so. It's been an extensive investigation being the first application it was important that we reached the threshold of the legislation which what you must remember we were going to the Supreme Court and it's important that we gather all possible credible reliable and admissible evidence to support the application. You said that this should serve as a warning to other gangs. The length of time that it's taken to prepare this application do you think that the lesson you give them considering anything would take years to get up? Sorry what was your question again? So you've said what I was press release that this should be seen as a warning. It's taken two years to get it before the Supreme Court. How is that a warning to other gangs if it will take years for similar action against them? Well there's no doubt in my mind that criminal organisations have been sitting back wondering what's going to happen in relation to this legislation. We have now taken action and if they've got any brains they'll be meeting and deciding that they need to start acting within accordance with what community standards require and stop committing offences. If they don't they will be subject to an application. Make no mistake. Now you've got this one under your belt, is there any following ones? Do I have to do it be easier for you because you've got to work on what you're doing? Certainly we've the members of the Declaration of Control Unit within Task Force Hydra have been working very hard since the enactment of this legislation. We've got the first application ready and was lodged today. It was new legislation we've gained experience in using that legislation and certainly the next application we make. We believe it will be in a shorter time period. Have you started making any other applications? I'm not going to ask that question at this stage. Would you reserve the option to make the second application, the first application become something to a High Court challenge? That's a matter we'll have to look at operationally. Are you confident that you'll avoid the sort of legal problems they had in South Australia with the Biden laws then? The legal advice that we've been given is that our act is quite strong. It has different thresholds within different jurisdictions. We are confident that we have presented a strong case based on the legislative framework that we've been given to operate under. It's now a matter for the court to decide as to whether we've achieved that threshold. Question to Gary. You and your task force have been dealing with these blokes for a long time now. How significant a step is this for you and your men today? I think it's a significant step. It's given us another tool in our toolkit to disrupt and dismantle criminal elements within our little motorcycle gangs. The mantra from clubs ad nauseam has been that it's individuals committing crime on the club. Generally, what are the ways that the application shows the club is instrumental in enabling criminal activity? I think that's a matter for the courts to decide. We've put a strong case forward. You will be able to access that sort of material and form your own views sometime next week when the courts make it available. Yeah well you and said only a few weeks ago that if you start banning motorcycle clubs you could then start banning Bronco supporters for being members of the Broncos club. What did you say to that? Certainly this. I've been given a piece of legislation to carry out investigations. We have done that. We've presented a case to the courts today. Those comments if they were made and I didn't hear them are a matter for other people. Why do you think the courts though the evidence that you have the defense won't get to see under this legislation? Well there are two phases to it. There is the criminal intelligence information which has a framework of confidentiality and then there's the criminal organization application which we forwarded today which the defense and members of the thinks will be able to access. You would agree though that the bulk of the evidence they won't ever get to see? So I was a question again. You would agree though that the bulk of the evidence that you have the defense won't get to see? No I don't agree with the word bulk at all. There is a criminal intelligence application that has been before the courts that has a framework of confidentiality surrounding it and the judge will view that information and make his or her own determination based on the entirety of the information before the court. If your applications are successful what's to stop the members of this club just going underground or just giving themselves a new name and just continuing on with what they're doing? Well the legislation is designed and the Queensland Police Service with Task Force Hydra are well experienced in dealing with any amount of criminality whether they go underground or not. All of those things that you accused the members of the thinks club of doing or at Brooklyn's offenses they're all things that you could get them for under existing laws why is it important to use this one? Well I didn't accuse them these are matters of public record these persons have committed these offenses and been sentenced or or given fines so these are facts in relation to your question. There are laws within this state in particular criminal code of Queensland that allows us to identify persons and bring them before the court that haven't dealt with for serious crimes. This legislation is unique in that it identifies criminal organisations committing serious and dire offenses or serious offenses that impact on the safety of Queensland it's a little bit different to the standard legislation we deal with. There are provisions under the act with respect to fortification rules that's as much as I can comment in relation to that question. This part of the legal process that we need to satisfy during the application these are matters that will be determined by the court. Other questions? Thank you very much.