CONTROL OF ‘BIKIES’ Greater mobility by police considered

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33067, 7 November 1972, Page 1

CONTROL OF ‘BIKIES’ Greater mobility by police considered

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 6. The possibility of the police using helicopters to increase their mobility against “bikies” was raised in an election radio broadcast tonight by the Minister of Justice (Sir Roy Jack).

The Government had more than once examined the penalties provided by the law and had been advised that they were adequate, he said.

“Notwithstanding this,” said Sir Roy Jack, “I am personally convinced that the situation must be thought about further, and stern measures taken to stamp out behaviour of the sort that is worrying people.

“In my view one of the steps to be taken is to increase still further the mobility of the police—even including, in certain circumstances,, the use of helicop-

ters—and to diminish the mobility of the marauders.” Sir Roy Jack said that for some time he had had under consideration by his department a proposal to empower the courts to confiscate motor-cycles used in connection with offences of violence or intimidation.

"The proposal is certainly not Mr Kirk’s invention any more than my own,” he said, adding that there were snags in the proposal. 1 “Suppose an offender has borrowed his father’s motorcycle, or that of an innocent

friend, or has put his bike in the name of his girlfriend,” he said, "what theh? “Nevertheless, in spite of the obvious difficulties, I believe myself that the proposal should be adopted as part of a group of measures, leaving it to the courts to decide the cases in which it would be appropriate to confiscate. “I am also in favour of greatly increased use of both still and movie photography to aid in identification of offenders.” He had also asked his de-

partment to study a number of other proposals, including making it necessary for a person who had committed any offence to obtain a permit before acquiring a motorcycle, heavily increasing the fines for group offences of violence or intimidation, and extending the provisions of the Crimes Act to provide for group liability for violent or intimidating conduct by a member of a motorised group. “We must at all times maintain a balance between the needs of law-and-order, on the one hand, and the civil liberties of citizens on the other,” said Sir Roy Jack. "Nevertheless, my colleagues and I are determined that recent developments, even though not as serious in New Zealand as in many other countries, must be firmly and sternly dealt with.” The Minister welcomed the “new-found attitude of toughness” now being shown by the Opposition. “It will be remembered that it was members of the Opposition who denounced the police at the time of the demonstration when Mr Agnew visited this country, and when the disrupters were raising their usual cries of ‘police brutality’,” he said.