Several gang members were arrested across the country yesterday, while others received court summons as the Government’s new gang patch ban came into effect.
The Gangs Act 2024 came into effect yesterday, making it an offence to display gang insignia in public places.
In a summary of the new law’s enforcement, police said six people were arrested, while five were summonsed to appear in court. Most relate to displaying gang insignia in public.
Two arrests made in Auckland
Yesterday at 7.40pm, while on a foot patrol at the night markets in Auckland’s Henderson, officers spotted a man wearing a sweatshirt with Head Hunters insignia on it. The 27-year-old was subsequently arrested.
At 10.35 in Papakura, officers spotted a man outside a Rosehill residential address wearing a Mangu Kaha patch.
Initially, the 51-year-old man refused to turn his patch over to police but eventually did so after “further conversations” with police. He was then arrested.
Police were called to Prchester Road in Takanini at 1.40pm, following a report that a man wearing a gang patch had stolen a vehicle.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said officers had met with gang leaders about how the new laws would impact them. (Source: Breakfast)
Officers found the vehicle nearby, as well as the alleged offender – a 51-year-old Mangu Kaha member – at an Ōtara address.
“An investigation is underway in relation to the taking of the vehicle, as well as the possible wearing of a patch in a public place,” Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said.
One arrested, one summonsed in Waikato
At around 2pm, Hamilton police observed a man wearing a T-shirt with a Mongrel Mob insignia walk into a fast-food restaurant on Lynden Court.
The 41-year-old was arrested, and his shirt was seized by police.
Earlier in the day, at 11.15am, officers conducted a traffic stop on Tristram Street and found the driver wearing a Mongrel Mob cap.
The hat was seized, and the 35-year-old was issued a summons to appear in court.
Insignia and weapons seized in Bay of Plenty
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said officers stopped a vehicle displaying gang insignia on its dashboard at 12.03am. (Source: Breakfast)
Officers in Tauranga searched an address after receiving reports of a patched gang member riding a motorcycle without a plate on State Highway 29 at around 11.40am.
“These follow-up enquiries enabled officers to identify the motorcyclist,” Basham said.
Police searched an Arataki address after spotting the same motorcycle leaving from it.
During the search, police found a Greazy Dog patch and helmet, which were seized.
A 44-year-old man will be summonsed to court and appear at a later date.
At 3.10pm in Rotorua, police arrested a 20-year-old man for breach of bail. He was wearing a Mongrel Mob t-shirt and was also in possession of “a number of weapons”.
The t-shirt and weapons were seized, and the man was charged with possession of offensive weapons as well as displaying gang insignia in public.
A busy day for East Coast police
From midnight tonight gang insignia will be banned in public spaces, among other changes being introduced. (Source: 1News)
At 12.03am in Napier, police stopped a man whose vehicle had a large Mongrel Mob sign on its dashboard.
The 51-year-old was issued a summons to appear in court and had the sign confiscated.
At 11.05am in Wairoa, police stopped a vehicle driven by a patched Mongrel Mob member. They seized a cap with the gang’s insignia, and the man was arrested.
Later that afternoon, at 1.20pm, also in Wairoa, police spotted a man wearing a Mongrel Mob T-shirt at a business on Paul Street. The T-shirt was seized, and the 45-year-old was arrested.
The man also faces charges of burglary and receiving stolen property and is due to appear in the Gisborne District Court later today.
At 11.45pm on Havelock Road in Havelock North, officers saw a man wearing a Mongrel Mob cap at a service station.
The cap was seized, and the 35-year-old was summonsed to appear in court.
One arrest in Nelson
Police were called to address in Stoke after a patched West Side member was seen wearing a patch in public.
Police found the 30-year-old and seized the patch.
He was summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
‘Comply with the legislation’
Yesterday, Police Minister Mark 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.”
Labour, on the other hand, felt the new laws around gang insignia were just a waste of time.
“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,” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said.
“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.”
