Tribal Huk gang risks undoing good work driving P dealers out

It's hard not to feel some sense of admiration for the Ngaruawahia gang leader who recently gave methamphetamine dealers 24 hours to get out of town "or else".

Tribal Huk president Jamie Pink soon after announced that he had driven P dealers out of the town but had lost an eyeball for his efforts.

He told Fairfax that his SUV had been shot at multiple times and that he lost an eyeball during a confrontation on the weekend.

"I've lost an eyeball, but all good," he said, before adding that he had driven 14 P dealers from the town.

The Police Association later said there was no evidence the gang had rid the town of dealers.

Gangs, for the most part, are shunned by society and for good reason. They are often associated with violent crime and choose to live on the fringes of society. It has to be said, though, that this gang appears to be challenging our perceptions of what they stand for.

Several years ago, gang members began providing lunches for hungry schoolchildren in the area. Although dubious initially, the community, reportedly, soon came to welcome their efforts which gained national media attention.

They were dubbed the "sandwich gang" and praised for making a real difference to children from struggling or dysfunctional families.

While the bid to drive P dealers from town is seemingly well-intentioned, and possibly effective, the gang risks straying back into the murky underworld of crime.

The fact that Pink has been shot at is clear evidence of this. It's also clear that intimidation played a big part in any success the gang had in forcing drug dealers out of the town.

In my opinion, it's lawless, wild west stuff and the gang risks undoing all the good work improving its image if it continues to be involved in vigilante acts.