Richard Chambers: Police Commissioner responds to feedback on the gang patch ban

The Police Commissioner says feedback from the gang-patch crackdown has been mostly positive on all fronts. 

More than 300 charges have been filed for breaches since the ban came into force in November. 

Police say they've also seized 76 patches. 

Commissioner Richard Chambers says the ban is leaving a positive impact thus far.

"More importantly, the public is saying that they are actually feeling safer - they aren't experiencing the same intimidation that they had in the past. So I think this has been a good piece of legislation."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Lots of people texting about Andrew Bailey. Ryan, what a
woke country. The MP didn't abuse whomever, He just touched
a shoulder for goodness sakes, Get real, we have more
important issues. The media should be focusing its attention on
twenty four minutes away from six. We'll do that right now.
The government is crying about how well the gang patch
ban is going. Three months in three hundred and thirty

(00:22):
seven charges for breaching the Act. So far, sixty seven
firearms have been seized. Weirdly enough, they've only seized seventy
six patches. Richard Chambers is the Commissioner of Polices with me,
good evening, Hello Ryan, it's seventy six. Now we've got
about ten thousand gang members on the register. That doesn't
seem like a huge number of patches to be seized

(00:44):
to me.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Is it? Well? I think there's a couple of reasons
for that, Ryan. First of all, before the legislation began,
we were very very clear about what the rules were
going to be. After the twenty first November, our job
is to enforce the law, and my staff across the country.
You've done marvelous so game members that have certainly we're
very clear about our expectations of them, and so not

(01:08):
only am I staff working very hard, but of course
I think when it comes to compliance with the law,
this does reflect some good decision making by GAEN members
by not wearing their patches.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
So you reckon the reason you've only taken seventy six
off the streets is because they're actually wearing them less.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Absolutely, it's the feedback that I get from my front
line outfits the feedback that I get from the public.
Of course, we've charged or prosecuted for over three hundred
breaches of this particular law of the game insignia that
that includes seventy six patches, So there are other things
like T shirts and caps and other bits and pieces.

(01:46):
But yes, I believe that this comes down to the
hard work of myself across the country and it's certainly
been noticed.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Okay, interesting, sixty seven firearms you say that have been
seized in the last three months, is that I mean
those have been seized regardless of the gang patch thing
the insignia.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
I think, well, you know, I mean, of course, in
law enforcement we do a whole lot of different things,
and you know, we're doing search warrants, for other crimes.
So we come across firearms just through our normal work,
but in this particular legislation if we are unable to

(02:22):
deal with gang and syne at time, or allows us
to follow up with search plants of premises, and as
a consequence of that, yes, we are finding the firearms
and other things. That's why three thousand charges other charges
for violence, drugs and firearms.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
So, I mean, obviously these figures are about seizures and
about things being taken from gang members. Is it actually
having an effect? Are the streets safer because of this
piece of law? Can you say that yet?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Absolutely is the case? Ryan, Not only my front lines
are saying that they see an absolute absence of gang insignia,
but more importantly, the public is saying that they are
actually feeling safer, they aren't experiencing the same intimidation that
they have in the past. So I think this has

(03:15):
been a good piece of legislation which my staff has
embraced and the benefits of those being in the public,
in the community across the country.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
You know, it's fascinating to hear you say that, because
it wasn't that long ago that people were saying this
bill was the end of the world, you.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Know, correctly correct. I think there are a lot of
people out there who thought the police can't do this,
this won't be achieved. Well, I think we've proven those
out there that thought that very wrong.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Richard Chambers, Police Commissioner, Thanks so much for your time.
For more from Hither Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.