Qld police and bikies in arms race

Queensland police fear they could be murdered by bikies under the state's tough new anti-bikie laws. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND police could be armed with semi-automatic assault rifles and body armour to keep them safe amid the state's crackdown on bikie gangs.

The police union wants powerful Remington R4 carbine .223 guns with scopes, shotguns and personal body armour tailored to individual officers.

The weapons are available to specialist units and police in isolated areas but the high-powered gun has not been allocated in the southeast region.

Commissioner Ian Stewart is considering the request but is cautious not to make police appear too threatening.

"There are times when our people will need specialist equipment to do their jobs in safety and that's what I'm looking at right now," Mr Stewart said.

Queensland police fear they could be murdered by bikies trying to evade capture and prosecution under the state's tough new anti-bikie laws.

Union President Ian Leavers says bikies will take more risks to avoid being subjected to new mandatory sentences simply for being members of declared criminal gangs.

"Police may very well become the victim of a serious attack, if not worse," Mr Leavers told AAP.

"This can be prevented by giving us firepower equal to what bikie gangs have."

Asked if arming officers with bigger guns would escalate the bikie war, the union president says there is already an arms race.

A lawyer who acts for members of unnamed outlaw bikie gangs says the laws have been so poorly crafted that his clients have been left with no process by which they could satisfy authorities they'd severed their gang links.

"Someone from the government, who is responsible for this legislation, needs to put in writing what it is a bikie must do so they're no longer considered a bikie," Peter Shields said on Monday.

Authorities are also severing the power of outlaw motorcycle gangs operating in jail.

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) says prisons are a prime recruiting place and they're working with jails to gather intelligence.

During an interview on Fairfax radio, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie agreed with one caller's views that outlaw motorcycle gangs are the Australian equivalent of the mafia.

He again acknowledged there would be a transition period where some law-abiding riders could be caught up as police work to nab bikie criminals.

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