Police Minister Mark Mitchell said police have made their first arrests under new gang patch legislation with gang members arrested in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay this morning.
“Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement action.
“At around the same time, a patched Mongrel Mob member was observed by Police standing in the street in Papakura. He was also arrested and will also face enforcement action.”
Mitchell said police stood ready to enforce the law despite compliance with the legislation being high.
“There is a very simple message to gang members worried about police having the ability to lock them up or search their home; comply with the legislation.”
The first police action under the new laws came just minutes after they came into force. (Source: 1News)
Earlier today newly-appointed Police Commissioner said police had taken their first action over gang insignia less than five minutes after the Government’s new laws came into effect overnight.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Breakfast his staff stopped a vehicle displaying gang insignia on its dashboard in Hastings just three minutes after midnight, when the laws came into effect.
“The staff dealt with that situation very, very well and that individual is now being prosecuted for displaying gang insignia in a public place,” he said.
A police spokesperson said a 51-year-old Napier man had been caught displaying a gang sign in public.
“The man was stopped by Police in Southampton Street, Hastings at 12.03am today, after officers observed a large Mongrel Mob sign on the dashboard of his car.
“The man was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date and the sign has been confiscated,” police said.
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.
Being a member of a gang will also become an aggravating factor in sentencing.
Asked whether police could potentially misinterpret what was considered gang insignia, Chambers said his staff were “very well trained” and had put a lot of effort into understanding the legislation.
“Safety is an absolute priority, I don’t believe there’s any potential for misunderstanding. But, we’re human beings and from time to time we’ll make mistakes but we’ll own them, we’ll learn from them and we’ll move on.”
“I think in relation to the new legislation, it’s well-understood, they’re well-trained and ready to go, just like they are with many other aspects of policing.”
Chambers was named as Andew Coster’s replacement, after he stepped down last week.
Speaking of his new role, Chambers said he wanted his staff to be “very focused” on doing the basics of law enforcement well.
“I’m open to the reality of policing, what we’ve seen around the globe is policing becoming more unpredictable and more volatile. I’ve had interactions where I’ve seen that volatility play out, frequently.”
He said his experience in a senior position at Interpol in France had given him insight into global feeling toward police, including being open to arming officers in New Zealand.
“I would like to live in a country where we don’t have to routinely arm our staff, but it’s not something that I will rule out. I will have that conversation with our staff and other people.”
He acknowledged that trust in policing globally as well as within the New Zealand Police had “dipped”.
“I want to raise trust and confidence here in New Zealand and I also want to raise trust and confidence internally within my organisation and that’s why my focus on the front line is what it is. I want to ensure the men and women of the New Zealand Police are supported internally and externally, so we’ve got some work to do.”
“I think it’s time for a new direction, time for some new priorities and I think the change will be very welcomed.”
New laws ‘won’t result in fewer gang members’ – Hipkins
Speaking to Breakfast, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he didn’t think a ban on gang patches would reduce crime.
“Ultimately it’s not going to result in one fewer gang member[s]. Gangs aren’t going to stop doing the things that they’re doing, they might be a bit harder for the police to spot in a crowd.
“Then again, I think it’s a big ask for the police to be forcibly removing every gang patch every time they see one, that’s actually probably going to result in more work for a relatively futile exercise for the police.
“I’m not sure if that’s the best use of police time. I’d rather see them out there actually tackling violent crime, tackling retail crime, tackling the things that are really making our community less safe.”
Hipkins said the best way to stop gang crime was to “stop people joining gangs in the first place” by tackling underlying causes of poverty and isolation.
“Last week we saw the Royal Comission’s report on abuse in state care, where it clearly highlighted the fact that being abused in state care was one of the major pathways into gang membership.”
“Lets get that bit right, lets sort that out, rather than beating up on the gangs now and saying ‘we’re gonna take away your gang patches’, which isn’t going to change anything.”
