Hawke’s Bay to be ‘real test’ for nationwide gang-patch ban

With the display of gang insignia in public places becoming illegal from midnight Thursday, November 21, all sides are bracing for the unknown. Photo / Paul Taylor

• Chris Cahill believes Hawke’s Bay will test the new Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill’s effectiveness.
• The bill, effective from Thursday, bans the displaying of gang insignia in public places nationwide.
• Cahill and Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Basham expect strict enforcement, with dedicated Gang Disruption Officers.

Police Association president Chris Cahill says Hawke’s Bay will present a real test for the gang-patch ban, given the urban and rural mix of old and young members.

The new Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill will come into effect at midnight on Thursday, making it an offence to display gang insignia in a public place anywhere in New Zealand.

Cahill, a former Hawke’s Bay police officer, thinks it is an unusual piece of legislation and is unsure what the reaction from the gangs will be.

“So, obviously, some of the older gang members are probably more accepting with the laws coming in — it’s going to be problematic for them, so they would restrict their patch use to private events.

“But the younger ones are quite likely to be more militant about it,” he said.

Policing the ban in Hawke’s Bay “will be interesting”, thanks to the region’s mix of urban and rural areas, some with long-established gang populations.

“You have got that complete mix of rural communities, where the gangs are embedded in them and a lot harder to police. And then you’ve got big gang membership in places like Hastings and Flaxmere, but you’ve also got larger police numbers in those areas.

“I think it’s going to be the sort of area where you get a real feel for how the law will work in different ways. And certainly, it will be testy.”

Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Basham has said police had been working behind the scenes for the past six months in preparation, with 77 dedicated Gang Disruption Officers — supported by another 25 roles in the National Gang Units — taking the lead in establishing how the police would enforce the patch ban.

Cahill said the expectation from police “is to police it hard early so that the gangs are in no doubt as to that it is now illegal”.

“The gangs have been briefed, had that made clear to them, so that’s the expectation.

“But equally officers have to use a risk assessment every time they make an arrest and one of those is obviously how many officers there are, how many gang members there are, is there an opportunity to do it then or is it better to take a photograph and then go and arrest them later when there is more officers available.”

Founding member of the Central Hawke’s Bay chapter of the Mongrel Mob, Ngavii Pekepo, thinks the bill will have an instant impact “because the police have got to be shown to do their jobs”.

“But I think it’s going to create more disturbances than anything else because I think the police are going to get carried away.

“Look at what happened up in Ōpōtiki. Nobody knew what happened up there. That was as scary as them going into Tūhoe.

“This is going to create a huge ruckus. Somebody is going to get killed.”

Pekepo said he had spoken to police and they were not happy about the bill as they did not believe they had the numbers to enforce it.

“We have a real connection with the police down here in Central Hawke’s Bay. We understand them and we get on with them well — we have a liaison with them.”

According to Pekepo, the ethnic clubs of Black Power and Mongrel Mob refer to their patches as kōrowai, but he knows that the general public and Government do not see it that way.

“To them, it’s just a patch, but a patch is worth a lot more than just the word patch. It’s your life, you’re displaying your life.

“It’s not about the individual anymore when you talk about a patched member — you’re talking about the patched member, his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. That whakapapa will always be there and it’s never, ever going to go away.”