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‘Logical flaw’ in ride register

There is a “logical flaw” in the Queensland Police voluntary ride register, according to the Australian Motorcycle Council.
The online and phone register has so far attracted 15 clubs to register 25 rides with the police to avoid being harassed or intercepted by the police.
However, AMC representative Tony Ellis has pointed out what he called a “logical flaw” in the purpose of the police ride register.
He says the register doesn’t include all the names of the participants anyway and that so-called “outlaws” wouldn’t bother to infiltrate a social ride.
In a meeting between recreational riders and Police Commissioner Ian Stewart on Tuesday Tony asked what would criminal bikies gain from joining a social club run.
The Commissioner said criminal motorcycle gang members may attend rides so they can confer and “do business” without having to use mobile phones.
But Tony also pointed criminals can also “hop in a car and can go to a restaurant”. In fact, police arrested a bikie suspect at a fast food restaurant the previous day.
Hailing from Melbourne Tony, who owns a couple of BMWs, a Suzuki Katana and a postie bike, says he has talked with Victorian police who claim it is “bizarre” to think criminal bikies would try to infiltrate a social club’s ride.
“They say they hop in their Chrysler 300C which is the current choice of the crims,” he told the meeting.
“If they are not hopping on bikes, do you start pulling over Chrysler 300Cs?
“The problem is you are inconveniencing innocent riders, not stopping outlaw bikies.
“Ride registration just causes problems, people don’t like it and it’s offensive.”
Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing confirmed that in the past two months they have not “to the best of our knowledge” picked up any criminal bikies on a ride.
Although he said that was a “great thing” because criminal bikies “are keeping their heads down”.
So exactly what is the point of registering a ride, asks Tony?
The Commissioner also said that on smaller rides, club members who notice a criminal bikie in their midst should ask them to leave.
However, Motorcycle Riders Association of Queensland president Chris Mearns pointed out that they are doing nothing illegal, even if they are riding with patches, so long as there are not more than two of them.
The Commissioner said club members would not know what is inside the bikies’ bags, suggesting they may have contraband.
Chris admitted club members would never search participants’ bags.
The Commissioner said he found it “difficult to understand what the problem is” with the ride register and the police action in “going after the bad guys”.
He admitted “some of your members will be inconvenienced from time to time”, but Tony said people being strip-searched on the side of the road is “more than an inconvenience”.
AMC chairman Shaun Lennard has called for the ride register to be scrapped. It has also been rejected by 93% of respondents to a poll on this website. Click here to read the story.

  1. registering your ride is an embarrassing attempt to cover up the problems with a shocking and uncessarry piece of poorly written legistlation

  2. who says these clubs are all criminals, what proof do they have, if they had proof they would be able to shut them down, so instead they resort to Harassment of Individuals, they might be doing business while sipping there latte’s LOL why cant 2 members of a club ride together (because they might be up to something) sciFi movie (future Crime) what a pissa !!!! IF LNP hasnt got any proof by now. get off this grandstand & focus on the other 99.62% of crime in QLD i thought the police swore an oath to serve & protect , how about doing some of that for a while hey

  3. > The Commissioner said he found it “difficult to understand what the problem is” with the ride register
    Perhaps the commissioner needs this “ride register” concept explained in another way.
    How about: “Law-abiding citizens are expected to submit their travel plans to police when they wish to use registered motor vehicles on public roads, with no guarantee that police wouldn’t intercept their ride anyway.” No problem?
    If the plan is to stop three or more criminals from congregating using motor vehicles of some kind, there should be a regular stop and search of cars with three or more occupants – they can even conspire while on the way to their next criminal act and carry bucketloads of drugs and weapons.
    Regardless – how does this register help “recreational riders” like myself that ride individually and appear to be the ones stopped most often?

  4. Sorry, are we in a Python skit here? The Commissioner who can’t explain what an ‘associate’ is but nevertheless instructs his troops to go out and stop, strip and search law abiding citizens. Who can’t understand the ‘problem?’ Well he better get his boys and girls to pull over AMG mercs with tinted windows and Range Rovers, because there are more criminals, white collar and others driving them. All too difficult really as bikes are easy pickings. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so bloody serious.

  5. as a club member, I have been stopped, searched , photographed, swabbed, breathed,measured,decibelled and any form of tampering the police choose to come up with,thousands of times. I have been on rides with up to 1000 bikes or as little as 2, and never, in 40 years of riding have I come across anyone with “contraband” in their bags, nor have I ever heard of any MC infiltrating a social club ride, these idiots live in LA LA land. this is nothing more than a control measure, with Police attempting to control all bikes, wherever and when ever they choose to ride.

  6. how many police are involved in contraband..how do we the public know that the police on bikes dont have any or in the police cars for that matter..so if we are stopped do we have the right to say we would like to search their bikes..person or cars after they have finished searching us..they need to take a closer look at themselves before do such outrageous activities on the public..they need to get out and do what they are being paid for and stop the real crims who are doing robberies..bashings..being a drunken nuicence..attacks etc etc and the list goes on..

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