Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Commander Matt Hollamby says police have received intelligence that the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang are trying to establish a presence in the NT

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Commander Matt Hollamby says police have received intelligence that the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang are trying to establish a presence in the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Know that the Northern Territory Police attended a number of
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: disturbances at licensed premises within the Darwin CBD over the weekend,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: allegedly involving members of the Mongol's Outlaw motorcycle gang. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining me in the studio to tell us a little
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  Speaker 1: bit more about the situation is Matt Hollanby, who is
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  Speaker 1: indeed the commander of Organized Crime Intelligence and Capability within
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Matteah, Good morning Katie, and good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I know that police are continuing, or I understand
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  Speaker 1: they're continuing to request assistance from the public about an
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  Speaker 1: assault of two males that occurred in Monsoons just shortly
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  Speaker 1: after three am on Saturday.
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  Speaker 2: Is that the case, Yeah, that's correct, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: There was an incident in Monsoons where a man who
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  Speaker 3: by all accounts did nothing wrong, was just passing by
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  Speaker 3: us punched in the face by you what we alleged
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  Speaker 3: to be a Mongols member. The man went to hospital
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  Speaker 3: and received some for facial injuries. So we're loosely aware
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  Speaker 3: of who the offender was, and we've already spoken to
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  Speaker 3: the man who was injured. But if anyone else saw
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  Speaker 3: the incident in terms of a future prosecution, we'll be
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  Speaker 3: interested in them coming forward.
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  Speaker 1: And so was there an assault just on one person
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  Speaker 1: or was there a second person as well?
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  Speaker 3: Look, the one I've got in front of me talks
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  Speaker 3: about one person who was assaulted. There were some other
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  Speaker 3: lesser incidents where this one a person actually got hurt.
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  Speaker 3: So that's you know, it's sad that a Territorian was
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  Speaker 3: injured by one of the visiting Mongols.
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  Speaker 1: And were there any other other incidents involving those Mongols
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  Speaker 1: while they were in Dawet or while they've been here.
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  Speaker 3: Look, the group, the leader of the group, who was
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  Speaker 3: quite upfront with the police, controlled them reasonably well. But
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  Speaker 3: there were a gentlement that went into nightclubs and caused
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  Speaker 3: a few issues. There was one lady who was confronted
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  Speaker 3: by what we alleged to be a Mongol member who
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  Speaker 3: thought that his behavior was inappropriate, and we've identified him
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  Speaker 3: as well. So but you know, again, it's sad that
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  Speaker 3: somebody had to be injured in a nightclub for no
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  Speaker 3: particularly good reason.
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  Speaker 1: And so what is the process now, Like, how long
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  Speaker 1: are you expecting these Mongols bikes to be in town?
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  Speaker 1: And how long do you keep up that increased police presence.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, most of them when they came up, they
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  Speaker 3: came from all different directions. Some across the Barkley Highway
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  Speaker 3: to Tenant Creek, some came up the Stuart Highway through
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  Speaker 3: Alice Springs and others came from Western Australia as well.
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  Speaker 3: So in Alice Springs on their departure we greeted them
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  Speaker 3: and breath tested and drug tested them. There was one
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  Speaker 3: driver was issued and notice to appear for drug driving yep.
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  Speaker 3: But one was issued a notice to a peer for
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  Speaker 3: a small amount of cannabis. But generally they were fairly compliant.
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  Speaker 3: And the other Springs random breath testing station. There was
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  Speaker 3: another random breath testing station down near Nunama and similarly
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  Speaker 3: they were generally compliant with the road safety rules.
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  Speaker 1: And do we have an estimate of how many of
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  Speaker 1: them were actually in the Northern Territory over the weekend.
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  Speaker 2: Look at riders versus members.
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  Speaker 3: There was certainly there was fifty riders that went through
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  Speaker 3: the roadblock in La Springs, but probably in one hundred
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  Speaker 3: and twenty one hundred and fifty range all up that
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  Speaker 3: attended Dawn for their national run.
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  Speaker 1: And Commander, I know that we have had some people
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  Speaker 1: get in contact with us saying, well, you know the
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  Speaker 1: police had such an increased presence for the Mongols outlaw
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  Speaker 1: motorcycle gang. Why you know, why did you need such
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  Speaker 1: an increased presence.
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  Speaker 2: Well, they are an outlaw motorcycle gang.
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  Speaker 3: Outlaw motorcycle gangs at a national level are affiliated with
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  Speaker 3: organized crime. We understand the Mongols are trying to establish
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  Speaker 3: a presence in the Northern Territory and we would prefer
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  Speaker 3: they didn't. And from our perspective, it was a good
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  Speaker 3: intelligence gathering exercise. We had other interstate counterparts who also
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  Speaker 3: came up to assist and they gained some valuable intelligence
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  Speaker 3: out of it as well.
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  Speaker 1: Commander, what makes you think that they do want to
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  Speaker 1: establish an outlaw motorcycle gang, Well, the Mongols outlaw motorcycle
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  Speaker 1: gang here in the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Well that's the information we're receiving. And historically motorcycle outlaw
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  Speaker 3: motorcycle gangs have been involved in drug trafficking and particularly amphetamines,
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  Speaker 3: and I think we all know the harms that amphetamines
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  Speaker 3: do to our community. If you have any friends that
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  Speaker 3: have been had family members affected by and asked them,
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  Speaker 3: and they will tell you how bad it is.
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  Speaker 1: So how big a concern is it? Now? Then for
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  Speaker 1: us here in the Northern Territory, if indeed the Mongols
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  Speaker 1: outlaw motorcycle gang do set up a presence, look as.
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  Speaker 3: I say, we you know, our charter is to monitor
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  Speaker 3: their activities and prevent them from engaging in organized crime.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what we'll do. You know, you've seen Operation
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  Speaker 3: ero Insight that the Australian Federal Police ran into the
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  Speaker 3: common cero's and the extent of organized crime that they
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  Speaker 3: were engaged in.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, there are.
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  Speaker 3: There are a lot of downsides to having an outlaor
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  Speaker 3: motorcycle gang in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, anybody out there listening, who's thinking to themselves, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, it's a milkey gang. What are we so
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  Speaker 1: concerned about? What would you say to them?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: Look, there is a perception by some people that the
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  Speaker 3: good old boys that ride motorbikes and drink beer. If
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  Speaker 3: you want to do your own so research, just google,
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  Speaker 3: you know, google arrest of outlaw motorcycle gang member in Australia,
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  Speaker 3: and you know some really really interesting reading, really horrific reading,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, that there may be the occasional one
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  Speaker 3: that is a good old boy, but they are affiliated
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  Speaker 3: with organized crime, and you know, particularly the dealing of
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  Speaker 3: amphetamines into the community, and we all know the harms
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  Speaker 3: of that. At a national level, a national study has
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  Speaker 3: been done that says that women who are in domestic
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  Speaker 3: relationships with outlaw motorcycle gang members are six times more
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  Speaker 3: likely to be the victim of a domestic violence assaults.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's not all beer and skittles. In terms
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  Speaker 3: of motorcycle gangs, they are one percent gangs, which means,
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  Speaker 3: you know, they do engage in crime.
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  Speaker 1: Have we got have we sort of got, you know,
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  Speaker 1: organized crime gangs in the Northern Territory at the moment,
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  Speaker 1: that might be quite an question, but I'd suppose there'll
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  Speaker 1: be people wondering that.
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  Speaker 3: Look, there are other outlaw motorcycle gangs that have a
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  Speaker 3: small presence in the Northern Territory, and you know, part
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  Speaker 3: of our role is to monitor their behaviors and prevent
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  Speaker 3: them from engaging in crime of any sort, in particular
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  Speaker 3: serious and organized crime. And I stress this again in
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  Speaker 3: particular keeping amphetamines out of the Northern Territory as best
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  Speaker 3: we can.
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  Speaker 1: And so from your perspective, will you and your crew
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  Speaker 1: sort of be doing what you can to try to
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  Speaker 1: stop the Mongols from having a presence here.
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  Speaker 3: Look, well, you know, I won't go into all of
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  Speaker 3: the details, but you know we'll actively monitor them and
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  Speaker 3: prevent them from establishing themselves as an organized crime group
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  Speaker 3: as best we can in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: And so have they left now?
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  Speaker 3: Look, there was as I said, that one hundred twenty
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  Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty that we're here with the bulk
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  Speaker 3: of them have left, but there are still some that
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  Speaker 3: are on their way out of the Northern Territory. And again,
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  Speaker 3: in fairness to them, the majority their behavior was well
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  Speaker 3: controlled by their group, but there was an element that.
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  Speaker 2: Didn't comply with the club directions.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Commander Matt Hollandby, we appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you very much for coming in and having a
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  Speaker 1: chat to us.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie and always a pleasure.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Thank you.