Police say officers are ready to enforce new gang laws that will come into effect from midnight.
The Gangs Act 2024, passed into law earlier this year, gives police new powers to disrupt and target gang activity from November 21.
The legislation prohibits the display of gang insignia in public and provides police the power to issue dispersal notices on gang members who are believed to be unreasonably disrupting the activities of the public.
It also provides for the making of non-consorting orders, which prohibits association and communication between specified gang offenders for three years.
“With the establishment of district gang units, police are ready to make maximum use of the new tools brought in to target disruptive gang events, and enforce the new gang laws,” said Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell in a joint statement.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham told Breakfast officers were “as prepared as we can be” to enforce the Government’s new laws.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said officers had met with gang leaders about how the new laws would impact them. (Source: Breakfast)
“We’ve been busy behind the scenes, making sure all the software and engineering and training is in place so that we can be ready to bring effect to the legislation.”
He said over the last few months police had met with “a variety of interested groups”, including gangs and senior gang leadership, to provide education and encouragement about how the new laws would impact them.
“The engagement has been mostly constructive and afforded us the opportunity to project that message around our posture from tonight.”
Basham said for the most part these groups had engaged with the police “in good faith” and emphasised it was not just gangs working with police on the matter, but the wider community too.
“It’s been, you know, gang communities, getting families and various other people that would have an interest in the law,” he said.
Asked about whether there would be any kind of “grace period” following the laws, Basham gave a firm “no”.
“No, we feel that the grace period has been the engagement that we’ve undertaken over the last three months.
“We’ve been really clear right from the very beginning. The Commissioner, in line with the Government’s intent here, has been clear about what our posture will be from midnight tonight.”
‘We have the right to dress as we please’
Wairoa Mongrel Mob captain Bronson Edwards told 1News he would continue to wear his patch in public, saying “no man has the right to tell me how to dress here in my whenua”.
“We’re not going to be blunt about things we do. We’re going to be quite strategic, but for us it’s a reminder of our sovereignty and our rights to dress the way we want to dress. As long as we aren’t doing any harm to anyone here in Wairoa, we have the right to dress as we please.”
Edwards said gangs were making “big changes” to engage more with police, to keep peace and maintain harmony in the country and the laws would “ruin that communication” within the wider community.
He said he did not understand the logic behind the laws, saying it was more about “authority” and questioned the Government’s “true agenda” by passing them.
“They say it’s because some people might feel intimidated, but I thought the laws were put in place to prevent crime? We can’t control how people think and feel.”
“What is the long-term outcome they hope to achieve? I don’t think they’ve thought of these things. And what is the cost of it all. I struggle to see the benefits of this law for Aotearoa.
He said he worried the new laws would create “a lot of dysfunction” among families of patched gang members who may be impacted by the new powers given to police and the courts.
“I firmly believe if there is crime that is done, there should be some form of punishment. No crime? Why are we being punished.”
‘Free ride for gangs is over’ – Govt
In a joint statement, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell reiterated the “free ride for gangs is over” when the laws take effect from midnight.
“Gangs in our country think they’re above the law and can choose which laws they comply with, and this Government does not accept that,” Goldsmith said.
Mitchell said gang members make up less than one-quarter of 1% of the New Zealand adult population, but are linked to 18% of all serious violent crime, 19% of all homicides and 23% of all firearms offences.
“Our message to the gangs is clear, the days of behaving like you are above the law are over.”
As part of the changes, greater weight will be given to gang membership at sentencing.