new breed of bikie as brutal gang war ignites over borders

The bikie old guard is being pushed aside by a violent new breed of steroid-pumped, amphetamine-taking young rebels who are flexing their muscle in many of Queensland's 14 outlaw motorcycle gangs, crime experts say. Increasingly, the modern bikie is likely to be in his 20s or 30s and of Middle Eastern or Eastern European descent. Some, like members of Sydney's Lebanese-dominated Notorious gang who are starting to infiltrate the Sunshine State, do not even ride motorbikes. This comes as a bloody battle between the Hells Angels and Bandidos is threatening to erupt into a national war – with bikies from interstate on standby to back up their Gold Coast members. The gangs - already at war in Sydney - are brawling over the Gold Coast's lucrative drug trade. Hells Angels numbers have swollen since 2010, to the detriment of the Bandidos. The Sydney members, which include a large proportion of Middle Eastern and Pacific Island bikies, have been flying north to the Gold Coast and operating as "nomads" without reporting to the Queensland chapter. After a major crackdown on the gangs and guns behind Sydney's violent shooting epidemic resulted in 555 people being arrested and 908 charges laid. Weekend's shooting The double shooting of a bikie and an innocent bystander at a Gold Coast shopping centre on Saturday has reignited debate about whether measures to deal with gang violence and organised crime are working. The offender, believed to be a member of a rival bikie club, remains on the run. New breed of bikie Gone are the old-school leathers and long, straggly hair - today's bikies are more likely to sport designer clothes and haircuts, trendy sunglasses and gangster bling. Assistant police commissioner for the southeast region, Graham Rynders, said the bikie demographic was changing. "The traditional long beard, long hair is going," he told a media conference yesterday. "We're seeing more like a younger set - well-groomed, well-presented (and) trying to portray themselves as professional people." Police say the heavily tattooed man who opened fire in the Robina Town Centre on Saturday, wounding a female shopper and a senior Bandido, fitted the mould of the new breed of bikie - young, well-built, brazen and possibly Middle Eastern. "The major problem with this new breed of bikie is that they simply don't care," a source told The Courier-Mail. "Many combine steroid and amphetamine use and it makes them feel 10-foot tall and bullet-proof. Many of them think nothing of pulling a gun in public, but to actually discharge it in a crowded shopping centre is an extraordinary and frightening new escalation of bikie violence." The source said many older bikies who joined gangs mainly for brotherhood and a mutual love of motorbikes and partying were being replaced by younger members who used clubs as much for business as pleasure. "That business revolves around the drug trade, extortion and standover," he said. "Over the last 10 years, the bikie gangs have seen an influx of young men from the Middle East and the Balkans. They are very tribal and many of them are extremely dangerous." Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon, responsible for State Crime Operations Command which includes anti-bikie squad Taskforce Hydra, said his officers were "constantly monitoring" the influx of new bikies and gaining intelligence from interstate colleagues. He said Queensland's "top three or four high-risk" bikie gangs were all involved in criminal activity "at some level, sanctioned by the club". Jacques Teamo, the Bandido shot at Robina on Saturday in front of his two children, is refusing to co-operate with police and Mr Condon admitted the bikie "code of silence" was frustrating investigations into gang activity. Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said yesterday the woman caught in the shooting was likely to be in hospital for some time. Mr Atkinson released five images of the muscular, tattooed offender in hope of identifying him. A succession of Gold Coast bikies, many of them Finks, have been jailed for contempt in recent years for refusing to answer questions about criminal activity in secret Australian Crime Commission hearings. Some refuse to even confirm they are bikies, despite sporting prominent club tattoos. But Mr Condon said Taskforce Hydra had arrested more than 1000 bikie gang members and associates on 2800 charges - including attempted murder, extortion and firearm and drug offences - since 2007. "Those persons have been sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment," he said. Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said it was "more likely than not" that several rival gangs were involved in the latest wave of violence. Despite fears of a bloody and now dangerously public bikie war, Mr Condon said there had been violent confrontations between rival gangs for decades, including a pitched battled between Finks and Hells Angels at the Royal Pines Resort in March 2006. Another incident In another worrying sign for the depleted Bandidos, a junior and senior gang member argued at a Gold Coast shopping centre on Friday with angry words exchanged after the junior member threw a rolled-up paper napkin at the senior Bandido. The older bikie is said to have taken offence and threatened revenge against the junior member, with the seemingly innocuous incident now set to lift tensions within the outlaw motorcycle outfit. Hells Angels bikie associates who have moved to the Gold Coast for "a better lifestyle" for their families are trying to take advantage of fractures inside the Bandidos. Police said there had been signs an all-out bikie war was brewing. The rise in gun crime and growing bikie gang activity south of the border has brought simmering tensions to the fore on the Surfers Paradise strip.

LA Gang Patrol Unit Under Investigation for Forming Own Gang

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Gang Enforcement Team of the LA County Sheriff's Department has become the subject of an internal investigation after it emerged its officers may have formed their own shoot-happy police-only gang. That group members allegedly style themselves The Jump Out Boys, which is even lamer than the name of the "gang" my dad claims to have been involved with in 1950s South Philly. (I won't print that name here; ride or die, Dad.) The probe was reportedly launched after someone in the department discovered a pamphlet laying out a code of conduct for the group's members, so at least we know the Jump Out Boys had put some real thought into this and were taking it seriously. According to anonymous sources cited by the Times, the pamphlet was, in some ways, not unlike a Boy Scout handbook; for one thing, it extolled the value of "hard work and other positive virtues." It also encouraged, in a roundabout way, that deputies become involved in the shootings of Los Angeles gang members, noting that officers who had been involved in such events commanded a level of respect others did not. Official department policy states that officer-involved shoot-outs be regarded as a last resort, rather than as something it might be cool to do. A spokesman for the sheriff's department said that, while detectives are actively gathering evidence and conducting interviews, it's unconfirmed whether the group even exists. "We're going to be looking at this right now, but it really could be a fantasy, something that's not true…" Which could mean that somebody dedicated a lot effort to putting together a nice, high-quality pamphlet for nothing.

Shooting a 'warning' from rival bikie gang

SIMMERING tension between rival bikie gangs exploded on the Gold Coast yesterday with the drive-by shooting of a tattoo parlour in the heart of Bandidos territory. Police fear the attack could be a push for territory by the Hells Angels as the outlaw gang seeks a toehold on the lucrative Glitter Strip. Less than 24 hours after police commissioner Bob Atkinson told the Bulletin that bikie gangs were "one of the greatest challenges to face law enforcement", the Bandido-protected Mermaid Beach tattoo shop was hit by at least four shots in the early hours of yesterday morning.  High-ranking police yesterday said it was "inevitable" that the violence that has plagued Sydney would eventually spill across the border. "We do not believe it is directly connected to the war between the Hells Angels and the Nomads that has been unfolding in New South Wales," said police. "But it is a similar style of attack. "We know the Hells Angels have been pushing to establish a chapter on the Gold Coast -- that push is coming from Sydney. "Tradelink Drive is not their most profitable chapter." While detectives have attempted to play down the shooting, police say there is "no doubt" it was intended as a warning. The Bandidos are the largest and one of the most secretive bikie gangs on the Gold Coast. The club has gained strength as its main rival -- the Finks -- have been severely weakened with so many senior members behind bars and Bandido territory stretches south from Broadbeach. Police said last month's Hells Angels National Run was intended as a direct message to all gangs on the Gold Coast. More than 200 patched gang members descended on Surfers Paradise for the run. "These clubs are so well organised, they do nothing without a reason," police said. "You can bet they had some purpose in coming to the Gold Coast. "They taunted the Finks and nothing happened, now the Bandidos tattoo shop is shot up in the same way the gym controlled by the Hells Angels was hit a few months ago. "You join the dots." The shop is owned by a senior member of the outlaw gang who has been a patched member of the Bandidos "for years", police say. In an exclusive interview with the Bulletin, Mr Atkinson said the danger of bikie gangs was "under-rated" by the community. "The outlaw motorcycle gangs nationally present one of the greatest challenges to police. "I think the degree of that challenge and the risk they present to our society is underrated." The Gold Coast has one of the highest populations of bikie gangs in the country. Mr Atkinson said he would not be surprised if the Hells Angels were not considering a move closer to the Glitter Strip. "They are businesses, they look for opportunity so that wouldn't be a surprise," he said. "They market themselves as a group of mature men who have a love and interest in motorbikes and they do that very cleverly. The reality is they are highly sophisticated, well organised criminal enterprises that pose a genuine risk to the community and many are well represented by the finest and best lawyers who they retain to represent them." South East Region Assistant Commissioner Graham Rynders said the gangs were constantly looking to expand. "One of things about OMCGs is they look for opportunity for criminal enterprise," Mr Rynders said. "Throughout Queensland, throughout the country, probably throughout the world they are looking to expand. It is obviously dictated to by territory, depending on who or what other groups exist in what areas."

Jury hears grisly details about murder scene

Police discovered a grisly scene on Sept. 10, 2000, when they entered a Cogmagun Road home in Hants County. “It was a very brutal scene,” Cpl. Shawn Sweeney, who was a constable with the Windsor rural RCMP detachment that day, testified Tuesday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville. It was the second day of trial for Leslie Douglas Greenwood, 42, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Barry Kirk Mersereau, 48, and his wife, Nancy Paula Christensen, 47. Sweeney, a Crown witness, testified that he and four other police officers who responded to a 911 call found Christensen sitting upright in a chair in the living room of her Centre Burlington home with a bullet wound in her left cheek, under her glasses. She had a cup of tea in her hand and a small dog was sitting in her lap. There were several bullet casings and lead fragments scattered on the floor. Mersereau was lying face down, with pools of blood around his head and body. Another dog, believed to be a German shepherd-Rottweiler mix, was hiding under covers on the bed in the master bedroom. A third dog was tied to the front porch and another had run off into the woods. Sweeney told Chief Justice Joseph Kennedy and the seven-woman, five-man jury hearing the case that the house appeared to be neat and orderly, with no signs of struggle. “It didn’t appear to be a house that was rifled through or things thrown around,” Sweeney testified. Const. Glenn Bonvie told the court it was immediately obvious that Mersereau and Christensen were dead. “There was no movement. There was no doubt that they were deceased.” Crown witness Ronald Connors owned a hunting cabin in the woods about half a kilometre away from the couple’s house. He testifed that he heard several shots at about 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 9. Connors said he heard six shots fired in quick succession, followed by a pause and a couple more shots. Moments later, there were more shots. He said he thought at first someone might be jacking deer, but Connors concluded that the shots didn’t sound like those from a high-powered hunting rifle. The jury was shown a video of the two bodies as they were found. Former RCMP officer David Clace, then in charge of the RCMP’s forensics identification unit in New Minas, said a large amount of money was found in plastic bags in a gym bag in one of the bedroom closets. The bag was later determined to contain about $65,000 in cash. Crown attorney Peter Craig has told the court that the victims were shot to death in their home in an execution-style killing as part of a Hells Angels-ordered killing. “They were killed in their home in a quiet community, with a teapot on the stove, with no signs of struggle and their baby in the next room,” Craig told the jury. He said evidence presented by as many as 40 Crown witnesses will show that Michael Lawrence and Greenwood murdered the couple on the orders of Jeffrey Lynds, a former Hells Angels operative who died recently in a Montreal jail of an apparent suicide. Lawrence, who owed Lynds money, pleaded guilty last January to three charges of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Also killed that day, by Lawrence, was Charles Maddison, an innocent man who picked Lawrence up hitchhiking. Lawrence shot him to take his truck to commit a planned robbery. Craig said Lawrence, expected to be a crucial Crown witness, will testify that he and Greenwood shot the couple, one with a .357 Magnum, the other with a 32-calibre handgun, in what he called “planned and deliberate” killings. The couple’s 18-month-old baby boy was safely recovered from the house by neighbour Ruby McKenzie, who went to the victim’s home the day after the shootings. McKenzie said she brought the baby back to her mobile home and called police. Greenwood sat quietly during the proceedings, occasionally exchanging comments with his lawyer, Alain Begin. Begin is expected to argue that Greenwood went to the Mersereau house the day of the shootings to buy drugs, and that Lawrence shot the couple while Greenwood was waiting outside. Also charged with first-degree murder in the killings is Curtis Blair Lynds, 36, who is serving time in a federal prison for drug trafficking. A preliminary inquiry in his case is scheduled to begin July 16.

Santa Ana gang member gets life in teen's death

Santa Ana gang member was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for his role in the 2010 death of a 16-year-old who was shot in the back as he fled semiautomatic gunfire, the Orange County district attorney's office said. Sarith Yin, 25, was found guilty in January of murder, street terrorism and being a felon in possession of a firearm, with sentencing enhancements for the crime's connection to a street gang. The sentence adds 30 years on top of life without parole. Yin had been convicted of street terrorism and second-degree burglary, among other offenses, in recent years. Prosecutors said Yin and John Saway were dispatched by fellow gang members after a confrontation between gang members and a group of teenagers in Tustin on Jan. 10, 2010. Yin and Saway, 25, drove to Tustin from Santa Ana, armed with semiautomatic weapons. The teens fled to nearby apartments, prosecutors said, but two others -- Carlos Rodriguez, 16, and an unidentified 16-year-old girl -- tried to hide behind a tree. Prosecutors said Saway approached the tree and began shooting at the two, while Yin provided cover. As the teens tried to flee, prosecutors allege, Saway shot Rodriguez in the back and the bullet pierced his heart. A man in one of the nearby apartments came outside with a rifle and began shooting at Saway and Yin, allowing a window for the young woman to escape. Yin fired back as the pair fled to a getaway car. Saway faces charges of murder, street terrorism, possession of a firearm by a felon, attempted murder and assault with a firearm -- with the sentencing enhancements for gang-related crimes. He has prior convictions for vehicle theft and being a felon with a gun. Prosecutors said Saway's trial is scheduled to begin next week.

9 arrested on federal charges in Englewood drug investigation

Side culminated Thursday with the arrests of nine people charged in separate indictments returned by a Federal Grand Jury and in a criminal complaint filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The arrests and charges were announced Friday morning by the FBI’s Chicago office, Chicago Police and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office. All of those arrested were taken into custody Thursday at various times and locations in and around Chicago, without incident, by members of the FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs and officers from the CPD, according to a release from the FBI. All of the defendants named in separate indictments were charged with possession and/or distribution of a controlled substance, either heroin or cocaine, while one defendant was also charged in a criminal complaint with distribution of a controlled substance (heroin). All of the charges are felony offenses. The three-year investigation leading to the filing of the charges announced Friday is part of an ongoing and coordinated effort by local, state and Federal authorities to identify and dismantle the many highly organized street gangs operating in Chicago, whose primary source of revenue is the sale of illicit drugs. This investigation, which resulted in the recovery of five weapons, over a kilogram of cocaine and nearly 500 grams of heroin, employed the extensive use of sophisticated physical surveillance techniques, the controlled and undercover purchase of illegal drugs and the court authorized interception of telephone conversations involving the defendants, the release said. This investigation was led by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs, which is comprised of FBI special agents and CPD officers. Additional assistance was provided during the investigation and arrests by the CPD’s Gang Intelligence and Organized Crime units; the Criminal Investigative Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Cook County State’s Attorney Office. “Our office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to target those groups and individuals who choose to engage in the sale of illicit drugs, which often leads to entire neighborhoods being held hostage,” Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago FBI office, said. Those arrested yesterday are identified as: Valdemere Collier, 27, of the 6400 block of South Peoria Street; Terrance Elane, 40, of the 0-10 block of East 9th Street; Derrick Green, 33, of the 6400 block of South Morgan Street; Denitra Harris, 37, of the 6300 block of South Sangamon; Kalvin Harris, 34, of the 6600 block of South Wolcott; Eddie Hill, 54, of the 6600 block of South Normal; Mavric Johnson, 37, of the 5700 block of South Michigan Avenue; Clarence Jones, 39, of the 6200 block of South Langley Avenue; and John May, 39, of the 6400 block of South Peoria Street. All of those arrested appeared in U.S. District Court late Thursday, at which time they were formally charged. They were ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court appearance and will be housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against them, the defendants in this case face possible sentences ranging from five years to life in prison.

Police fear Winnipeg summer gang war

Winnipeg police want to avoid a second summer of gang-related fire-bombings and assaults in the city, so they have started taking action now. The Winnipeg Police Service and federal prosecutors have taken the unusual step of applying in court for peace bonds for nine known biker gang members. The bonds impose various conditions on individuals, even if they have not been charged with a crime. Conditions could include curfews and orders to stay away from other gang members. Wiretap information connect the nine men to a turf war that erupted last summer between two motorcycle gangs: the Rock Machine and the Redlined Support Crew, a Hells Angels puppet group. In an affidavit filed with the court, police outlined last summer's violence between the gangs and raised concerns about public safety. "There were 20 reported and almost as many unreported incidents of violence between the Redlined/Hells Angels and the Rock Machine, including shootings, assaults and firebombings of properties," the affidavit states in part. Police said several arrests have been made, but most of the incidents remain unsolved. "The war has been quiet in the past few months, but the rivalry still exists and it appears the Rock Machine … are still intent on expanding their presence here and across Canada," the court document says. "More violence is predicted between these two groups." Two men have agreed to the peace bonds to date.

Gang members held on gun charges in SE Fresno

Fresno police patrolling southeast Fresno arrested two gang members on firearms charges Monday night. Sgt. Pete Boyer said the arrests marked the third straight day that officers have seized guns from gang members in the area as part of an effort by police to curtail violence involving gangs and tagging crews. Monday's arrests took place about 9 p.m. in the 5000 block of East Lane Avenue. Boyer said officers were talking to two men in an apartment when one man walked away and attempted to hide a handgun under a sofa. That prompted the officers to take both men, 18 and 20 years old, into custody.

Police to probe soldiers shot in gang brawls

 

The Jakarta Police said Monday they would question two soldiers who were shot while allegedly as part of a motorcycle gang that carried out vigilante acts on Jl. Pramuka in Central Jakarta last week. “The two wounded soldiers were part of the group of motorcyclists that was on Jl. Pramuka that night. Right now, the two are still being treated at hospitals. We hope they get well soon so that we can start questioning them,” said police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto. First Seaman Sugeng Riyadi and Second Pvt. Akbar Fidi Aldian reportedly suffered gunshot wounds inflicted during the brutal attack on Jl. Pramuka. Witnesses reported that both soldiers were shot by unidentified men driving a Toyota Yaris hatchback. “The men [in the car] immediately drove away after firing the shots. We are still unable to identify who fired the shots,” Rikwanto said. Akbar was shot in the chest and is currently receiving treatment at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta, while Sugeng was shot in the right ear and is currently hospitalized at the Mintohardjo Navy Hospital, also in Central Jakarta. A series of widespread attacks occurred in seven spots across North and Central Jakarta in the early hours of April 13, leaving at least eight people injured and one dead. The final attack took place on Jl. Pramuka at around 3 a.m., with Anggi Darmawan and Nendy Haryanto as the last victims. Two motorcycles were burned and three others were destroyed in the attack. The group of bikers also vandalized a 7-Eleven convenience store on nearby Jl. Salemba Raya, attacking and robbing the store’s customers, and damaging several motorcycles parked in front of the store. It was widely reported that the attackers were similar in appearance, with athletic builds and crew cuts. The police have also revealed that the assailants used military lingo when addressing each other and that some of them attached yellow ribbons to their shirts. “However, we are still looking into whether [Sugeng and Akbar] also attached yellow ribbons to their shirts,” Rikwanto said. According to him, the bullets that struck Sugeng and Akbar were still at the respective hospitals that treated the two soldiers. “We will request [the hospitals] to submit [the bullets] to us so that we can keep them as evidence.” Friday’s early morning violence was the latest in a series of four attacks allegedly involving biker gangs in Jakarta in the past three weeks. The first assault took place in Pademangan, North Jakarta, in which First Seaman Arifin Sirih was killed. Another attack occurred seven days later in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, which took the life of Soleh, 17. The next day, four teenagers were assaulted by a group of 30 bikers in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Separately, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said Sunday that he had ordered the police and the military police to work together in arresting the motorcycle-riding perpetrators of the recent spate of violence across Jakarta as soon as possible. “No matter who they are, military personnel or civilians, they must be taken to court if they are found guilty of such crimes,” he said as quoted by tempo.co.

Girl killed in gang shootout

12-year-old Cape Town girl was killed during a deadly shootout between rival gangs and cops. And the victim’s sister and cousin were rushed to hospital after they were also shot in the crossfire on Saturday night. Sade Boltman, 12, her 17-year-old sister Tiffany and their cousin Quade Fredericks, 12, were walking home from their grandmother’s house when they trapped in the shootout. The children and three other relatives – including Quade’s mother Gaynor Schwartz – were walking in Vlamboom Road, Bonteheuwel, when a shootout broke out between two rival gangs and police. Cops claim the victims were shot by the gang members before they arrived. But residents insist the cops were at the scene before any of the children were hit. Sade’s heartbroken family were Sunday night trying to come to terms with the senseless killing of their beloved daughter. Tiffany and Sade’s father Anthony Boltman, 38, says the children were planning a surprise party for their grandmother who celebrated her birthday last week. “They were on their way home and just as they took the bend at Vlamboom Road, people were shooting,” Anthony tells the Daily Voice. “We don’t know where the shots came from (police or gangsters).” Anthony says his daughter was still alive when he arrived at the scene at around 10pm. “I was the last person to see her,” he says. “I spoke to Sade as she was on the floor and told her not to leave me. “She just looked at me as if to say ‘Daddy, please help me’. “They were going to surprise their grandmother at church [Sunday] for her birthday.” Sade was rushed to hospital with her injured sister and cousin. Medics battled to save her life – but she died hours later from her injuries. Sade’s sister was shot in the right foot and is recovering in hospital. Her cousin Quade, who was shot in the jaw, underwent surgery to remove the bullet. Sade’s mother Sherri was too distraught to talk to the Daily Voice at the family home in Bonteheuwel Avenue on Sunday. Scores of friends and relatives arrived to offer their condolences to the family. Neighbours also placed floral tributes at the scene of the fatal shooting. Police and Vlamboom Road residents on Sunday night gave different accounts of the bloody shootout that resulted in the death of the 12-year-old girl. Locals are adamant the shootout was between police and gang members. But cops claim their officers only arrived at the scene after a separate shootout between rival gangsters. Resident Gail Brooks says several shots were fired outside her home, close to where the children were hit. “They were walking down the road when the shots were fired,” she tells the Daily Voice. “Police said they were looking for someone wearing a red top but they didn’t find anyone. “There were lots of shots fired.” Bishop Lavis police spokesperson Captain Marie Louw claims the fatal bullet was not fired from any of the officers’ guns. “According to a witness there was a shooting between two gangs when one of the gang members walked towards the children and started shooting at them,” she tells the Daily Voice. “Sade was shot in the chest and neck and died as a result of her injuries.” Louw claims police arrived minutes later when the suspects allegedly opened fire on them. “The police fired back and managed to arrest a 21-year-old man from Yellowwood Street,” she adds.

Sydney rocked by escalating gun war between gangs

An escalating gun war in Sydney saw five overnight drive-by shooting attacks, Australian police said Tuesday, April 17, as they struggled to bring the gangland violence under control. According to AFP, there have been eight shootings across the city in four days and 19 so far this month, mostly in Sydney's west and southwest. Three homes and two tattoo parlors were sprayed with bullets in the latest attacks. No one was hurt but five young children were lucky to escape injury in one of the houses. Police believe a dispute between two biker gangs - the Nomads and Hells Angels - was behind four of the five attacks. Assistant Police Commissioner Frank Mennilli said the police were working on stamping out the violence. "This is where we have just individuals who've got a total disregard for the law of this state and its community," he told ABC radio. New South Wales state opposition leader John Robertson urged the government to authorize police rewards of up to Aus$50,000 (US$51,700) to any person who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction. "This gangland war is going to continue and people in Sydney are going to continue to live in fear," he told reporters. New South Wales state Premier Barry O'Farrell defended the police response. "I share the public's concern that even though these are clearly targeted shootings, only one stray bullet is needed to seriously injure or kill someone who is innocent," he said. Federal Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said more needed to be done to halt the illegal trade in firearms with more than 10,000 handguns on the streets of Australia. He suggested a firearms unit be established to collate intelligence gathered by customs and federal and state police on the illegal gun trade. "We already have that with drugs, and it works very well," he said.

Police in downtown Los Angelese are fighting crime by predicting offences - before they have even happened.

Unlike the usual method of responding to 911 calls, cops use computers which show them 'red spots' where an incident is most likely to occur.

They are then deployed onto the streets in a bid to deter thugs, burglers and gangsters from going on their next crime spree.

Technical: LAPD cops study an enormous computer screen showing 'red spots' where the next crime is most likely to committed

 

The 'predictive policing' system pulls together crime statistics and pinpoints the areas where most offences are being carried out. Police are then sent to patrol those streets

The programme has some similarities with the hit science fiction film Minority Report.  The movie is set in 2054 and a special police unit is able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes.

However, unlike LAPD's system who use computer data, those in Minority Report employ special psychics called 'precogs'.

Tom Cruise plays 'PreCrime' captain John Anderton but the system eventually predicts that he will commit a future murder and he has to take flight.

 

 

Such disturbing situations are unlikely to happen with LAPD's system, which uses crime statistics - and not premonitions - to pinpoint the next likely incident.

The system has been trialled in the Foothill division of downtown LA since November and could be rolled out to other areas if it is successful

The 'predictive policing' system being used in the Foothill Division of downtown LA has been developed from the same kind of mathematical calculations used to predict earthquakes and aftershocks.

It analyses the times, dates, and places of recent crimes such as burglaries, break-ins, and car thefts. It also looks at the frequency of offences and predicts how many are likely to be carried out if the trend continues.

If a spate of crimes have happened in one area, or a crook appears to be moving across the region, this is flagged up the software. The data is then aggregated and 'hot spots' are formed.

Capt. Sean Malinowski says the system is able to put police on the streets before crimes have happened.

Futuristic: Tom Cruise, left, as John Anderton in the science fiction hit Minority Report, which uses psychic 'precogs' to predict future crimes

Complex: Anderton uses his special powers to predict crime to map future offenders on a giant computer screen. The premonitions backfired when he was himself accused of a future murder

'Sixty-five percent of our crimes are burglary, grand theft auto and burglary from a motor vehicle. And that's what these boxes represent,' he told CBS.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said the main goal was to prevent crime. Since the system was introduced burglaries are down 33 per cent and violent crime is also down 21 per cent.

Police Chf Beck said: 'I love catching people - it's what I live for - but what I'd rather do is live in a place and work in a place where crime didn't happen.

'Everybody thinks they do their profession as well as it can be done and so they don't need any help. If this old street cop can change the way that he thinks about these things, then I know my kids can do the same.'

He added that the system helps police to use their officers more effectively. It has been tested in the Foothill Division since last November and if it is found to be successful it could be roled out across more divisions in LA.

British terror supergrass sentence cut by two years

jailed British terrorist has had his sentence cut by two years in a supergrass deal after giving evidence about an al Qaeda-linked “martyrdom” plot in New York, it was revealed today. Former teacher Saajid Badat was jailed for 13 years in 2005 for plotting with shoe bomber Richard Reid to blow up a transatlantic airliner in 2001 in what an Old Bailey judge said was a “wicked and inhuman” plot. He has now had his term reduced by two years under the first “supergrass” deal involving a terror convict, after providing intelligence to US prosecutors investigating an alleged plot to blow up the New York subway on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Details of the deal — kept secret for more than two years — were revealed today by the Crown Prosecution Service as a trial of the alleged al Qaeda plotters began in New York. Defendant Adis Medanjanin, a 27-year-old Bosnian-born US citizen, is charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing “material support” to al Qaeda. He is said to have had terrorist training in Pakistan in 2008 and then returned to begin a plot to use beauty parlour chemicals to blow up the subway. Badat, from Gloucester, joined Reid’s shoe bomb conspiracy but pulled out at the last minute.

Western embassies targeted in Afghanistan attacks

 

Gunmen have launched multiple attacks across the Afghan capital Kabul. Western embassies in the heavily-guarded, central diplomatic area are understood to be among the targets as well as the parliament building in the west. There are reports that up to seven different locations have been hit. The Taliban has admitted responsibility, saying their main targets were the British and German embassies. There is no word at this stage on any casualties.

Taliban free hundreds from Pakistan prison

Hundreds of prisoners are believed to have escaped from a jail in northwest Pakistan after it was attacked by anti-government fighters armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Some of those who escaped from the facility in the town of Bannu, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, early on Sunday morning were "militants", an intelligence official told the Reuters news agency. "Dozens of militants attacked Bannu's Central Jail in the early hours of the morning, and more 300 prisoners have escaped," Mir Sahib Jan, the official, said. In Depth   Profile: Pakistani Taliban "There was intense gunfire, and rocket-propelled grenades were also used." Many of those who escaped following the raid were convicted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reported from Lahore. A prison official in Bannu confirmed that "384 prisoners have escaped". A police official identified one of the inmates who escaped as a "dangerous prisoner", who took part in one of the attempts to kill the former president, Pervez Musharraf. The TTP, an umbrella organisation for anti-government groups that are loosely allied with the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, took responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for Hakeemullah Mehsud, TTP's leader, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the group was responsible for the attack. Another Taliban spokesman told Reuters: "We have freed hundreds of our comrades in Bannu in this attack. Several of our people have reached their destinations, others are on their way.".   Our correspondent said the attack took place in the early morning and had resulted in an exchange of fire that had left several people wounded. "After the attack the paramilitary and regular military forces came to that location and tried to surround the area," he said. "They have arrested up to a dozen men, but most of the people have indeed escaped." The injured were rushed to a local hospital in Bannu. Sources told Al Jazeera that as many as 150 fighters were involved in the attack. After blowing up the gates of the main prison at around 1:30am local time (20:30 GMT on Saturday), they entered the compound and freed the inmates, the sources said. The attackers had arranged for the transportation of the inmates from the facility. A police official told Reuters that Bannu's Central Jail held 944 prisoners in total, and that six cell blocks had been targeted in the attack.

Alaska coast guards found dead at Kodiak Island

 

Two members of the US Coast Guard in Alaska have been found dead, prompting concerns that a killer could have struck at a remote island outpost. A captain at the Kodiak Island Station said they were unsure what happened and a suspect could still be at large. The base and schools in the area were put on lockdown and residents of the island were told to remain vigilant. The names of the victims will be released after their families have been notified, the coast guard said. "It is possible that the suspect remains at large," Commanding Officer Captain Jesse Moore said. "Since we don't have all the details, we strongly advise all Kodiak residents to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials." The captain also said the unit was "deeply saddened" to have lost two shipmates. Officials were unable to determine whether the deaths were a double murder or a murder-suicide. "This is a rare occurrence and we are going to do everything possible to ensure we find out exactly what happened," he said. Agents from the FBI have been sent to Kodiak from the town of Anchorage, about 250 miles (402km) away. Kodiak has a population of about 6,300 people.

Eight people from 'Holy Death' cult arrested in Mexico over ritual sacrifices of woman and two 10-year-old boys

Eight people have been arrested in northern Mexico have over the killing of two 10-year-old boys and a woman in what appears to be ritual sacrifices. Prosecutors in Sonora, in the north-west of the country have accused the suspects of belonging to the La Santa Muerte (Holy Death) cult. The victims' blood has been poured round an altar to the idol, which is portrayed as a skeleton holding a scythe and clothed in flowing robes. The cult, which celebrates death, has been growing rapidly in Mexico in the last 20 years, and now has up to two million followers. Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for Sonora state prosecutors, said the most recent killing was earlier this month, while the other two were committed in 2009 and 2010. Their bodies were found at the altar site in the small mining community of Nacozari, 70 miles south of Douglas, Arizona. Investigations were launched after the family of 10-year-old Jesus Octavio Martinez Yanez reported him missing early this month.