A 22-year-old Franklin man police believe is a member of the Hells Angels criminal motorcycle gang has been charged after refusing to give passwords to a phone seized in a search of his home last week.

Police say the man was required to provide passwords under a 3LA order issued by a magistrate. He refused to do so.

A 3LA order requires a person to provide any information or assistance that is reasonable and necessary to allow police to access data, including account-based data, held in or accessible from a computer or data storage device found on the premises where a search warrant is being executed.

A subsequent examination of the phone identified use of an encrypted messaging application.

The man was arrested on Friday and charged with contravening a 3LA order. He was also found to be in breach of an existing Intensive Corrections Order issued in NSW in 2022.

Insp Mark Steel said police would target anyone who associates with criminal gangs in the ACT and the surrounding district.

“We will continue our pursuit of criminal motorcycle gang members,” he said.

“Our dedicated investigators will use all lawful means to make the ACT a hostile environment for gang members.”