Mayor, police and MP to meet over gang violence

Wairoa Mayor Les Probert. File photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Wairoa police will meet with the town's mayor and the local member of parliament next week following the second gang-related shooting there within five days, as fear of reprisal attacks grows.

A 48-year-old Mongrel Mob member was shot twice with a shotgun, once in the back and once in the side, as he pumped fuel into his vehicle at a service station on the main road on Friday night.

The attack appeared to be a retaliation for another shooting on Monday night, where a 17-year-old Black Power member was shot in the chest outside Mongrel Mob headquarters.

There was a larger than normal police presence in the northern Hawke's Bay town last night, with officers on the lookout for any gang activity.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott, head of Wairoa CIB, said although last night had been quiet, retaliation attacks were still "a real possibility", so extra staff from elsewhere in the region, including armed offenders squad officers from Gisborne, were on standby.

"After something like this happens you've got to create a bit of public reassurance and keep a lid on things," he said.

Police had spoken to the latest gunshot victim, who came out of surgery yesterday and was recovering well.

Mr Scott said it did not appear the shootings were drug-related, but it was not uncommon for tensions to flare up between the two groups.

"There's certainly no love lost between them and it's been like that for a number of years, decades probably."

Mr Scott would meet with Napier MP Chris Tremain and Wairoa mayor Les Probert next week to discuss ways of dealing with the town's gang problem, which could involve placing a ban on gang patches.

Speaking with NZPA yesterday, Mr Probert said the latest shooting was the catalyst for the town to do something about the gangs.

"Mainly it's fighting each other in their own pads, but now this is an entirely different situation. It took place at a service station on a Friday afternoon. It's an act of absolute stupidity and we are not going to put up with it.

"It could have been a real catastrophe."

The violence had escalated over the last few months, he said.

"These gangs are always at each other and it's one-upmanship. I am not sure if it's the younger ones or the older ones but whoever it is, we don't care now and we are going to deal with it."

"We will take it as far as we can. I am not sure what we can do, there may be legislation, maybe more police."

Police were doing a good job but could not be everywhere all the time, Mr Probert said.

Over the years authorities had spoken with the gangs and could meet with them again, he said.

"We have got these two gangs, one each side of the river and of course it doesn't matter what agreement you come to with one of them, if another drives past and fires a gun then there's retaliation."

Mr Probert said the gangs generally fought each other on their own patches and locals said it was not a gang town.

"It's a good town, it's a very safe town. It happens in Flaxmere, Christchurch, Auckland but in a small town like Wairoa it's more obvious."

- NZPA