Media monitoring

Black market bullet

Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin, Page: 3 Saturday, 7 January 2012

A specialised police squad will be formed to hunt down illegal guns amid fears about the increase in stolen weapons and a burgeoning black market on the Gold Coast.
Police Minister Neil Roberts and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson will today announce the formation of an illegal firearms squad within the Queensland Police Service’s State Crime Operations Command.
The squad of five will be located in the Organised Crime Investigation Unit and will focus on crime involving firearms and the unlawful firearms trade in Queensland.
The Bulletin has in the past reported on the booming black market for guns on the Gold Coast, where sawn-off shotguns sell for as little as $200 and handguns for up to $8000.
Generally associated with bikie gangs, drug syndicates and other organised crime, many of the guns being traded have reportedly been stolen from collectors or smuggled into Australia from China and Eastern Europe.
Mr Roberts said the squad would target the main sources of illegal firearms such as gun theft, illegal importation, illegal manufacture and firearms that were not surrendered in the gun buy-back licensing period post-Port Arthur massacre.
"The squad will provide assistance and support to the eight Queensland police regions across the state," Mr Roberts said.
"The Organised Crime Investigation Unit within SCOC has always focused on these issues, however the additional five officers (a detective sergeant, three detectives and one intelligence officer) will enable a more consistent approach on a permanent basis." Mr Roberts said the positions were among the additional 150 sworn officers being funded by the Bligh Government in the 2011-12 state budget.
Mr Atkinson said the involvement of firearms in crime had been relatively stable in the past five years but the number of firearms stolen in Queensland had increased in 2011.
"The involvement of firearms in crime is rightly regarded as one of the most dangerous and serious issues in terms of community safety, and we will do all we can to reduce the numbers of illegal firearms and prosecute offenders," he said.
The positions for the five officers in the new squad will be advertised this month.
In Queensland in 2011, firearms were used during the following types of offence: For the 222,105 property offences (stealing, break and enter, and unlawful use of vehicles), firearms were used on 144 occasions, or about .07 per cent of these offences.
For the 46 homicides, firearms were used on two occasions, or 5 per cent of these offences.
For the 859 armed robberies, firearms were used on 135 occasions, or 16 per cent of these offences.

Home > Media monitoring > Black market bullet