Biker gang violence escalating in Sydney

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SYDNEY, July 2 (UPI) -- So far this year, there have been 60 shootings in Sydney due to heightened tension between motorcycle gangs, police say.

The tension has led to innocent bystanders getting caught in gun violence, such as a 2-month-old baby who recently survived a drive-by shooting at a house where she was sleeping, Sky News reported.

In an effort to curb gang activity and shootings, police have began raiding local homes businesses associated with bike gangs and pulling over bikers wearing gang insignia, the report said.

"We classify these groups as criminal organizations," acting assistant police commissioner Mal Lanyon told Sky News. "There are a range of issues which come into play, the patching over or the movement of one member of a group to another group, competition over drug turf and individual differences between members."