Police have sought to reassure the Canberra public that the massed gathering of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang this weekend in the territory is unlikely to pose concerns.
Police from interstate and the ACT have been preparing for the massed gathering for several weeks, establishing strict parameters around how the bikie gang members will ride as a group in their club "colours" and meet together.
A private venue in the ACT was booked for the gang meeting on Saturday evening.
The ACT meeting is understood to have been scheduled, in part, to mark the 40th anniversary of the infamous "Milperra Massacre", regarded as the most violent bikie gang confrontation in Australia's history when members of the Comancheros and Bandidos produced firearms in a public car park and began shooting.
Seven people were killed and 28 injured in the Father's Day 1984 incident which triggered tough legislation and a major police crackdown on NSW bikie gangs. Among those killed was a 14-year-old girl hit by a stray bullet.
Around 150 Comanchero gang members are in the national capital this week and all had to run the gauntlet of the NSW State Crime Command Raptor South specialist teams to reach the ACT. The Raptor teams are specifically tasked to disrupt organised crime networks.
Anti-consorting laws apply in NSW which prevents any gang members who have a criminal record or have been warned by police not to consort with more than two others, including riding together.
However, the same laws - which have been proposed multiple times by the ACT Liberals - have been opposed steadfastly by the ACT government as discriminatory.
The relaxed ACT laws allow OMCGs to gather in number inside the territory and wear their colours, as well as ride as a group through the national capital, provided they obey the road rules.
For several hours from late morning on Saturday, ACT police closed down Heffernan Street, in the industrial suburb of Mitchell, to create a vehicle checkpoint. This had been set up under a prior arrangement.
Around 60 police - their numbers notably included representative officers from all states and territories and even Border Force - established the one-way passage checkpoint in the back street, and all gang members were required to file through.
Compliance and defect checks were done of vehicles and motorcycles, and rider and driver licence status, plus there were drug and breath tests conducted. One of the riders did a burnout down the street when he left the checkpoint and was promptly stopped and his motorcycle seized by police.
Some of the expensive and modified Harley Davidson motorcycles had also been "defected" by police on their way to Canberra, or on their arrival. While riders can continue to use defected bikes for a time, the defects will need to be "cleared" in the future by road transport authorities or registration will be suspended.
Some of the gang members filing through the checkpoint were in full club colours, some wore commemorative white Comanchero "hoodies" marking the anniversary, and others preferred to be dress more anonymously.
Police said that they had a "level of information" as to what planned activities the group would be conducting while in the ACT, and any massed ride would be closely monitored by ACT Road Policing.
