Victoria police chief: Tackling construction crime requires 'long journey' amid witness intimidation

Victoria's police chief has admitted that bringing charges related to corruption and organized crime within the state's construction sector will be a "long journey." Chief Commissioner Mike Bush stated that investigators are actively working to reassure witnesses who are experiencing "violence and intimidation" from criminal elements involved in the industry.

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If you can imagine how some of the victims of those crimes actually feel, they have been heavily intimidated.

Taskforce Hawk, established two years ago, is specifically targeting criminal activity and the infiltration of outlaw motorcycle gangs into major Victorian government infrastructure projects, including the "Big Build" sites. Commissioner Bush highlighted the challenges faced by victims who have been subjected to intimidation, emphasizing the police's commitment to their safety and to encouraging them to come forward.

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Our team have been working really well to reassure them, to keep them safe, and bring those people forward, so those arrests are based upon people who are finally feeling reassured that we are here for them, that we'll look after them.

"Our team have been working really well to reassure them, to keep them safe, and bring those people forward, so those arrests are based upon people who are finally feeling reassured that we are here for them, that we'll look after them," Bush said. He acknowledged that the modus operandi of those committing these crimes involves "pure violence and intimidation."

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But that's quite a long journey. Again, if you think about the modus operandi of the people who are committing these crimes it's pure violence and intimidation.

In a recent development, detectives from Taskforce Hawk arrested underworld figure Mick Gatto, a self-described mediator in the construction industry, but he was later released without charge. Commissioner Bush declined to comment on the specifics of Gatto's arrest, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation. He reiterated the police's determination to hold accountable anyone involved in corruption within the construction sector, stressing the critical need for substantial evidence, including firsthand accounts from victims, to support any charges.

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That's an ongoing investigation.