Top cop denies city is on the cusp of another gangland war after high-profile arrests

Victoria’s top cop has rejected suggestions Melbourne is on the cusp of another gangland war following a string of high profile gang arrests.

National president of the Comancheros, Mick Murray, has this morning been charged over the 2019 murder of Mitat Rasimi.

Chief commissioner Shane Patton told Neil Mitchell one of Murray’s associates, a 32-year-old Hallam man, has also been taken into custody for questioning over the murder.

Detectives also raided Nitro Gym in Hallam at about 7am this morning.

Rasimi, who had underworld links, was shot dead in Dandenong. Two other men have previously been charged with his murder.

The raids come a day after police involved in a separate investigation centred on jailed gangland figure George Marrogi revealed they had foiled two planned gangland hits in Melbourne.

Despite the string of high-profile gang incidents, Mr Patton says the city is not on the brink of another gangland war.

“I don’t believe, at all, that we’re on the cusp of any significant gangland war or anything like that, but it does show we constantly have these criminal entities, these criminal groups that are prepared to do anything to try and make money,” he said.

“We constantly will be targeting them, we’ll constantly be disrupting them.

“We can’t afford to take our eyes off the ball.”

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