Gang patches seized by police following the gang patch law crackdown on organised crime. Montage / Phil Welch
Gang patches seized by police following the gang patch law crackdown on organised crime. Montage / Phil Welch
Police enforcing new laws have laid 521 charges for gang insignia breaches and seized 132 gang patches.
More than 6000 charges were laid against gang members, with 89 firearms and 637 insignia items seized.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham reports the gang patch legislation has significantly impacted gangs and communities.
Police have laid more than 6000 charges against gang members – and seized 132 patches – in the first six months of enforcing tough anti-gang laws.
And police top brass say the timeframe has had a positive impact on the community in terms of reduction of intimidation, with Police MinisterMark Mitchell saying the work of officers has been “outstanding”.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham – charged with rolling out the gang patch legislation – has revealed to the Herald that in the six months to May 14, 2025 that under the Gangs Act 2024 patch legislation, police had:
– laid 6052 other charges against validated gang members.
“Police around the country have done an outstanding job at enforcing the new gang laws,“ Mitchell told the Herald.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell during his walkabout with a police beat section in Wellington.
“It’s proved to be an exceptional tool for police to roll over the top of gangs and take back control of our streets.
“No longer do we see gang patches in public causing fear and intimidating law-abiding Kiwis, compliance remains high and gang members have been sent a very clear message that police control the streets, not the gangs.”
Basham, who heads police investigations, agreed with his minister.
“To be fair to the gangs, we asked them to use good judgment; if not, there would be consequences,” Basham said.
Police conducted more than 500 meetings with gang leaders and communities prior to the legislation coming into force in late November.
Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham.
“And for the most part, they have complied with the legislation.
“There are some gang members that have been convicted and a few of those charges are being defended.
“But the convictions and prosecutions are just one measure. The success is what we are observing in communities, that that fear and intimidation from gangs has significantly reduced over the past six months.
“To me, that’s the most obvious key to the success.”
Black Power life member Denis O'Reilly. Photo / Paul Taylor
Black Power life member Denis O’Reilly said gangs had been compliant.
“I was half expecting a big blow-up but gang leadership has been intelligent enough and the police have done a great job by rallying those gang leaders to comply,” O’Reilly said.
“I was in Auckland for a Black Power league match and there was no visible gang insignia – not even T-shirts.
“Yet when they went back to their clubrooms, they were able to put on their patches.”
O’Reilly said while gang friction was always in the wind, because rivals are not running into each other in town, there is less confrontation.
“Because the gangs are not annoying the public, they are not annoying each other as much,” he said.
Basham said gang leaders had also been very clear to their members that losing their patches comes “with consequences of threats of violence to fines”.
The Herald has been told loss of a gang patch can cost the gang member up to $5000.
Basham said of the 132 gang patches seized, police would ask the court to order the destruction of them if the owners are convicted.
What gang tangi looked like before the November 21, 2024 legislation came into force.
He said the extra resource given to the police meant they could react and also activate tough and clear responses to gang activity, utilising good gang intelligence.
“There are a number of other tools, like the firearm prohibition law and powers that come that will make it difficult for gangs to operate,” Basham said.
“We know many of the gangs here are involved in organised gang activity.
“One hundred of the 500 extra police were earmarked for the gang units. Seventy-seven have, or will, go into the district gang disruption units and 20 in the national gang unit in Wellington.
“You will see more police engagement working with gangs at gang tangi and as we observe high level of compliance, we can refocus our effort on where gangs are involved in violence, firearms and drugs.
The real enemy are the cartels. Yes the gangs are involved in the distribution but where’s it coming from?
“Gangs are involved in a large scale in the methamphetamine distribution.”
But O’Reilly says it’s not solely the gangs that police should be concerned about over the drug trade.
“The real enemy are the cartels. Yes, the gangs are involved in the distribution but where’s it coming from? Offshore, and the border controls are only now starting to see just how much unprecedented meth is coming here via the cartel.
“The real drug enemy is not within but from the outside. It’s the foreign players who promise the young guys the earth, but don’t explain you can only see it from six foot under.
Last October, officers executed 30 search warrants “targeting identified people believed to be involved in a North Island-wide drug distribution network”.
Twenty-eight people were arrested and illegal drugs and firearms were also seized.
Basham said police made no apologies for wanting to rid communities of violence and drugs.
“Preventing crime and harm is a major part of our focus,” he said.
“Like what has happened in Ōpōtiki, where police have come in and supported communities,” he said.
“We will continue to do that with the enforcement to help communities build resilience to drugs and crime.
“We are a modern policing service and proud how we police in 2025. We are evidence- and intelligence-led and this last six months. and our ability to work in communities, reflects who we are and what’s possible.
“We are positive about this legislation and committed.”
“If you look at the purpose of the act and its intention on having an impact on how gangs operate and fear and intimidation, it’s been successful and we have had a lot of feedback from the community and police.
“As an organisation, we want people to not only feel safe but be safe, and leading up to the new legislation, we had observed behaviours around gang tangi which caused concerns across New Zealand.
“I think we have seen a significant reduction in that behaviour around those types of gatherings.
“Senior police have said to me they have not seen anything like it to what we were seeing before the legislation to what we are seeing now.”
Basham said the anti-gang legislation was “a tool among a suite of tools” police could use to make an impact on criminal behaviour.
He said police also had received some intelligence that the patch ban had “de-escalated some gang confrontations”.
That included police hearing anecdotally that even gang members felt safer.
“I think some gang members themselves feel safer when they go into town to do their groceries or drop their kids to school,” Basham said.
“We had a lot of engagement with gangs before this legislation was rolled out and we were clear of what was coming and wanted to be transparent.
“To their credit, many gangs have taken those conversations we had on board.
“It was clear what would happen if they breached the law.”
Joseph Los’e is an award-winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News, covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
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