Police have had to remain tight-lipped on investigations into recent bikie-related shooting attacks in Maitland, but have assured worried residents they are “in the faces” of groups involved.
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Highly trained investigators from multiple police districts have been pulled into a strike force established in February to probe a number of violent attacks between the Nomads and Finks outlaw motorcycle gangs in the region.
There have been at least seven targeted shootings in the Hunter this year – most of which have occurred in Maitland with hits on homes in Chisholm, Thornton, Tenambit and Gillieston Heights.
While there have been no fatalities, the most recent attack at Thornton resulted in a man being shot in the leg.
In some instances, children have been inside the homes at the time of the attacks.
Police said high-powered weapons including longarm shotguns and handguns were used in the incidents.
Northern Region operations manager Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey told The Mercury investigators had established “a number of lines of inquiry” in terms of what may have been the trigger of the escalating feud.
“It may have been something very simple,” he said.
“I can’t definitively say what starts this kind of behaviour, but it’s my job to stop it.”
The Nomads have been a well established group in the Hunter Region for a long period of time, police say, and while there have been “minor” conflicts with other outlaw motorcycle gangs over the years, the Finks are a much newer group on the scene.
In the wake of the attacks, the strike force has deployed a mixture of investigative and disruption techniques, including the recent use of highway patrol and tactical officers, to delve deeper into the issue.
Superintendent Humphrey said while there was a danger to bystanders when high-powered weapons were used in suburban areas, nearby residents should be “concerned, but confident” in knowing police were throwing everything at the problem.
“We’re using all of our available resources to prevent recurrence,” he said.
But ultimately, the Superintendent has appealed for help from those involved in the attacks. He said if the shooting way continued, it could result in the death or serious injury of family members.
He pointed out a recent shooting in which the perceived target wasn’t home at the time, but his partner and a child were.
“They’re protecting cowardise [by not talking to police],” he said. “What are they trying to achieve here?
“It’s such reckless behaviour bringing innocent people into their battles. It’s got to stop.”
Superintendent Humphrey said beyond the shootings, the strike force was expected to lead into other forms of criminality, so it may not be shut down for some time.
