The publication of the organised crime inquiry report has generated the sort of response that demonstrates how rational debate, and evidence-based criminal justice policymaking became fraught with the politicisation of criminal justice under the LNP government.
Despite Opposition protestations that the allocation of resources was the Police Commissioner’s responsibility, the highly politicised ‘bikie’ war would have put enormous pressure on the Police Service priorities. It was clear to anyone with any knowledge of the criminal justice system that ‘bikies’ were only one component of the organised crime scene. Justice Byrne’s conclusion were hardly surprising, though the extent of some of the other crime problems his report identifies is shocking.
The Commission inquired into the extent and nature of organised crime in Queensland and its economic and societal impacts. The Terms of Reference focused on four key areas:
• the major illicit drug and/or precursor markets
• online child sex offending, including the child exploitation material market
• financial crimes, primarily investment/financial market fraud and financial data theft
• the relationship between organised crime and corruption in Queensland.
The Commission was also required to investigate the extent to which organised crime groups use various enabling mechanisms or services: in particular, money laundering, cyber and technology-enabled crime, identity crime, professional facilitators, violence and extortion.