Large numbers of police will shadow the club's "Good As Gold Poker Run" south of Brisbane tomorrow, vowing to crack down on "blatant life-endangering offences" such as speeding and running red lights en masse.
But leading civil libertarian Terry O'Gorman, who along with three lawyer colleagues is engaged by the bikies to act as observers, said the club would complain to the corruption watchdog if police used "mass intercepts" that held up riders for hours.
The Hells Angels, setting off from their Hillcrest clubhouse at 12.30pm and heading south, will lead a procession of up to 250 riders, most of them not members of an outlaw motorcycle club that has been accused of providing a worldwide network for organised crime.
Acting Detective Superintendent Garry Watts of Task Force Hydra said the size of the Hells Angels' run made it potentially "more dangerous" than other bikie runs.
"Unfortunately past events have seen blatant life endangering offences committed; such offences included the mass running of red lights, crossing double white lines, and riding at excess speed," he said.
"The participants of the run have also at times conducted their own traffic control at intersections. This places all road users at risk."
Police, who warned of traffic disruptions and urged caution from both participants and motorists who crossed their path, released footage of a previous run showing those offences.
EN MASSE: Hells Angels bikies arrive on the Gold Coast as part of their national run. FILE PICTUREMr O'Gorman said he understood the footage was from five years ago and that the Hells Angels and police including Hydra had since worked together to manage the event.
As an observer last year, he said "the only thing I can recall was one bloke charged with speeding because he overtook an unmarked police car".
"As of tomorrow, we'll make it clear that anyone who breaches the traffic laws as part of the run gets pinched just as anyone else does in any other scenario," he said.
Mr O'Gorman said he and Hells Angels Brisbane President Mark Nelms had a "productive" meeting on Wednesday with police, who agreed to facilitate the riders' entry to the Ipswich motorway from near their clubhouse "to minimise any potential traffic dangers".
But the club had previously written to police to advise they would complain to the Crime and Misconduct Commission "if police powers are misused for the sake of just causing a go-slow".
He said the Hells Angels engaged his firm last year after other outlaw clubs reported that mass intercepts of similar rides had held up riders for an "unreasonable" two hours.
"There is a concern emerging in a number of the (outlaw) clubs that these sort of rides are being stopped en masse while everyone is breath-tested, drug-tested, bike-tested and we've indicated in a letter sent to police that we regard that sort of mass intercept without any factual justification as a breach of law," Mr O'Gorman said.
"It's to be hoped that both sides hearing out each other at the meeting, can work together tomorrow."
Acting Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Morrow of State Traffic said police were focussed on enforcing road rules "impartially and fairly".
"Clubs want to bring lawyers with them, that's entirely a matter for them - irrelevant to us, we will be focussing on the road safety issues at hand," he said.
The Hells Angels have also engaged St John Ambulance for the event, an organiser said.
The Hells Angels, setting off from their Hillcrest clubhouse at 12.30pm and heading south, will lead a procession of up to 250 riders, most of them not members of an outlaw motorcycle club that has been accused of providing a worldwide network for organised crime.
Acting Detective Superintendent Garry Watts of Task Force Hydra said the size of the Hells Angels' run made it potentially "more dangerous" than other bikie runs.
"Unfortunately past events have seen blatant life endangering offences committed; such offences included the mass running of red lights, crossing double white lines, and riding at excess speed," he said.
"The participants of the run have also at times conducted their own traffic control at intersections. This places all road users at risk."
Police, who warned of traffic disruptions and urged caution from both participants and motorists who crossed their path, released footage of a previous run showing those offences.
As an observer last year, he said "the only thing I can recall was one bloke charged with speeding because he overtook an unmarked police car".
"As of tomorrow, we'll make it clear that anyone who breaches the traffic laws as part of the run gets pinched just as anyone else does in any other scenario," he said.
Mr O'Gorman said he and Hells Angels Brisbane President Mark Nelms had a "productive" meeting on Wednesday with police, who agreed to facilitate the riders' entry to the Ipswich motorway from near their clubhouse "to minimise any potential traffic dangers".
But the club had previously written to police to advise they would complain to the Crime and Misconduct Commission "if police powers are misused for the sake of just causing a go-slow".
He said the Hells Angels engaged his firm last year after other outlaw clubs reported that mass intercepts of similar rides had held up riders for an "unreasonable" two hours.
"There is a concern emerging in a number of the (outlaw) clubs that these sort of rides are being stopped en masse while everyone is breath-tested, drug-tested, bike-tested and we've indicated in a letter sent to police that we regard that sort of mass intercept without any factual justification as a breach of law," Mr O'Gorman said.
"It's to be hoped that both sides hearing out each other at the meeting, can work together tomorrow."
Acting Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Morrow of State Traffic said police were focussed on enforcing road rules "impartially and fairly".
"Clubs want to bring lawyers with them, that's entirely a matter for them - irrelevant to us, we will be focussing on the road safety issues at hand," he said.
The Hells Angels have also engaged St John Ambulance for the event, an organiser said.
Large numbers of police will shadow the club's "Good As Gold Poker Run" south of Brisbane tomorrow, vowing to crack down on "blatant life-endangering offences" such as speeding and running red lights en masse.
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March 01, 2013
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