Govt 'still tough' on organised crime
The state government has maintained it still has a tough approach to organised crime, despite the shooting of an 11-year-old boy, the son of a Finks motorcycle gang member, at the weekend.
The shooting on Friday night has left Police and the Motorcycle Riders Association fearing a violent reprisal.
The boy was shot twice in the leg, after two men forced their way into a Semaphore home, ransacking the house and smashing windows.
A spokesman for the Motorcycle Riders Association told the ABC the attack is likely to trigger further violence, if families of bikies are going to be attacked.
"It's very unfortunate that sort of people who are innocent, especially an 11-year-old kid, are actually drawn into this warfare that's going on. That's really sad, and how gutless, how pathetic," he said.
The state government announced in August plans for revamped laws to target criminal motorcycle gangs after the High Court previously declared current legislation to be unconstitutional.
The Opposition leader, Isobel Redmond says it is too little too late.
"The problem with the legislation is the government not listening to common sense and some good advice from us," she said.
"The government for years has been talking tough and we are not seeing an improvement in the law and order situation."
But the Attorney General denies the state government is slow to make the changes.
"I do not intend to be introducing legislation before it is ready, just so we can go through an exercise of appearing to be quick off the mark," Attorney General John Raud said.
"The government has introduced a raft of bills in the past 12 months, most of which have been butchered in the upper house by the opposition."
"I would be naive, we all would, to think that passing any law by itself is going to eliminate all criminal behaviour."
"But this legislation that we have ready to go, and we are consulting on, will make serious inroads into the activities of criminal groups."
