As gang tension bubbles away in Hawke's Bay, a 12-year-old girl asked her parents why police weren't doing anything about Mongrel Mob members hanging out car windows and running red lights. Good question. She wrote to Hawke's Bay Today, and we figured who better to answer her questions than Napier
12 year-old raises gang concerns while Nash defends police actions
Hawkes Bay Today
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Stuart Nash spoke at a community meeting in Taradale following a gang shooting last month. Photo / Warren Buckland
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"But it's not all about what the Mongrel Mob members were doing but what the police were doing about it.
"The Mongrel Mob members were sitting in the windows of their cars and they were also driving through red lights while other cars were struggling to just drive across without getting hit.
"They yelled at innocent bystanders and their behaviour was scary!
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"What did the police do about it you might ask ... well, they did nothing! The police just watched and let them do it.
"How is that fair, effective policing? If the police saw someone else behaving that way, I am positive that they would pull you over, tell you off and fine you.
Police Minister and MP for Napier Stuart Nash replied:
"On the surface, this is not a good look and I understand your concerns. As with everything, however, there are two sides to every story."
Nash said the incident was a procession of cars coming from a Mongrel Mob tangi.
"Whenever there is a tangi, the Mongrel Mob inform the police.
"The Mob are told by police that every member participating must obey all the laws of the land and any infraction will be dealt with appropriately," Nash said.
Nash said the number one responsibility of police was public safety and number two is their own safety.
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"Police do, of course, have the power to arrest and charge anyone, including gang members, who is breaking the law.
"In some circumstances, however, police make the judgement that it is in the best interests of public safety, and their own, not to charge someone there-and-then, but rather take down the details of the offending vehicle and follow up afterwards.
"I am informed this is an example of what you witnessed," Nash said.
Nash said all gang members who broke the law had their details recorded which police followed up.
Nash said the Hawke's Bay Police Gang Focus Unit, which was established in response to rising gang activity, has arrested more than 100 gang members in its six months of operation.
He said the increase of 1104 police during his role as Police Minister was "significant".
He urged members of the public to report illegal activity.
"Police do their very best to keep us safe and prevent crime, but the only way we are going to be truly successful is if we tackle this as a community," Nash said.
