Bikie gangs battle for underworld

Bikie gangs battle for underworld: "OUTLAW bikie gangs are amassing unprecedented power in Victoria, targeting Melbourne's nightclubs, tabletop dancing venues and security businesses with extortion, threats and violence.
The Brumby government is facing renewed pressure to fall into line with other states and introduce anti-association laws to curb the bikies' growing power and links to organised crime.
Senior Victoria Police sources have told The Sunday Age that several gangs - including the Comancheros and the Bandidos - are vying to dominate Melbourne's underworld and warned that violence was likely to rise, especially if the rival gangs launched a battle for the city's methamphetamine trade.
''The underworld killings left a vacuum in Melbourne and the bikies, particularly the Comancheros, have been quick to move in. A lot of these guys are just criminals who've never ridden a motorbike,'' a police source said.
Senior sources say the gangs' rise to power in Melbourne has flourished since the recent crackdown in other states."