The Australian state of Queensland is creating a special prison to house gang members, banning them from owning tattoo parlours and crushing their motorbikes.
Facing a turf war between rival gangs which has spilt into bombings, shootings and street brawls across the country, the state of Queensland has introduced new measures that include a prison for motorcycle gang members, or "bikies", where inmates are kept in cells for 23 hours a day.
The state is also introducing a ban on gang members owning tattoo parlours and bans on some gang members wearing their emblems. Other states are planning to deport foreign gang members who have rushed to Australia to join the warring sides.
The ongoing battle has involved a fight between rival Australian and international gangs, with the Hells Angels reportedly confronting a local gang called the Finks, which has come under the wing of United States-based Mongols. Other gangs include the Bandidos, the Nomads, the Rebels, Notorious and the Comancheros. The gangs tend to have clubhouses and ride around in large groups but have increasingly become involved in crime and the drug trade.
The dispute erupted late last month with a violent street brawl involving dozens of bikies on the Gold Coast, a popular beachside tourist strip in Queensland.
The brawl raised fears about the impact on tourism and prompted the state government to launch drastic measures to stem the violence, including its new special prison near the city of Brisbane. The prison will not have a gym or television and the inmates will be subject to regular searches and drug tests.
The state's police chief, Brett Pointing, said the recent violence had "terrified" the public.
"We're seeing a lot of this very, very violent gang activity spilling out onto the streets, spilling out into public places – and it terrifies the public," he said.
"Clubs are actively recruiting at the moment at an alarming rate The leadership of these clubs are younger, more aggressive, certainly more territorial."
Tony Abbott's government has pledged federal support and the army has been called in to assist with arrests in the state of Victoria.
Queensland's war on the gangs prompted fears its parliament could come under attack and led to the gates of parliament house being locked and public tours being suspended.
"Just as we're going to crush the criminal motorcycle gang enterprises, we're going to crush the bikes," said the state's attorney general, Jarrod Bleijie.
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