There has been an escalation of gang violence across NZ. Photo / Peter Meecham
There has been an escalation of gang violence across NZ. Photo / Peter Meecham
Details were revealed this week about Operation Cobalt, the latest effort by the police to combat gang violence across New Zealand.
How did we get to this point? How much of what we're hearing about gangs is true? And will the latest efforts be enough to bring the situation undercontrol?
On today's episode of the Front Page podcast, investigative reporter Jared Savage helps to answer these questions while also separating fact from fiction on the key narratives we often hear about gangs.
What follows is a fact-check from Savage, who has 15 years of experience reporting on this issue, on some of the statements being made in the media and on social media amid the growing concern about gangs.
Fact check 1: Gang violence is 'unprecedented' at the moment
Jared Savage: "This is true. We've definitely had a lot of gang violence throughout history, but what we're seeing now is an uptick. We had a long period where we hadn't seen that violence, but we've had the recent arrival of gangs from Australia and they've brought a new mentality. They're far more ruthless and willing to pull the trigger. What we're now seeing is an escalation of tit-for-tat behaviour. We're seeing heavier firepower and semi-automatic, military-style firearms. And they are more likely to be used."
Fact check 2: NZ Police softer on gangs than Australian law enforcement?
JS: "This is true and false. This [notion] goes back to 2009, when there was a huge brawl at Sydney airport between the Hell's Angels and the Comancheros that led to someone being beaten to death. The footage was broadcast everywhere and it triggered this reaction from the public and politicians over there to come down tough on the gangs. They set up this thing called Strike Force Raptor just to make things difficult for gangs. They started pulling them over for speeding fines and checking on the clubhouses. They used arcane laws to just make life difficult for gangs.
"In New Zealand, we haven't really taken that approach. But what we have done really well is police the organised crime side of gangs. So these are the gang members who are predominantly involved in drugs. Our police are really good at those covert investigations. What we haven't seen so much of is overt policing of gang convoys or gang disorder, because it's quite resource intensive. And that's the real shift we've seen this week with the announcement of Operation Cobalt."
Fact check 3: All 501 deportees are dangerous gang members
JS: "There's an important distinction between someone who is a 501 deportee and a 501 gang member. We've had thousands of people deported out of Australia under the 501 system for various reasons, some of which are quite heartbreaking. A small proportion of those 501s are senior influential gang members. I think we're talking less than a 100. They're a small subset of deportees, but what they've brought with them is global organised crime connections, a more ruthless mentality in terms of violence between gangs and a greater propensity for corruption. They've brought a higher level of criminal trade craft and it's really escalated things in New Zealand."
Fact check 4: Australian gangs are more vicious than those in New Zealand
JS: "[The gang members coming in] are next-level criminals in terms of what we had here with our established gangs. What that has done is create an escalation. Because they're operating at a higher level, everyone else kind of competes with that – and that's what's led to this gun violence and the incredible amount of drugs being brought into New Zealand from these global networks that now have an established foothold in New Zealand through people who were deported here. The Comancheros, the Mongols and the Rebels are the sorts of groups that have radically changed the gang landscape in the past five years.
Fact check 5: Police are harder on legitimate firearms holders than gangs
JS: "This is quite a tricky topic. A lot of licensed firearm owners were frustrated or angry about having to hand back their semi-automatics after the atrocities in Christchurch. What that doesn't take into account is that we've had a huge haul of blackmarket guns in New Zealand for a long time – and it's been unregulated. For years and years, we've had no idea of how many guns are in the country because there hasn't been a registry of firearms.
"And this next bit will blow your mind. To start, you need a permit to import firearms and any gun retailer needs to keep records of who they've sold gun to. However, if I then buy a gun and sell it to somebody else, I don't need to keep records of that transaction. All I need to say is that they showed me their firearms licence. This is called straw-buying, and it's how lots of firearms have ended up in criminal hands. A licenced firearm owner will buy a weapon and then sell it to someone else. There's no paper trail."
Fact check 6: Outlawing patches would reduce gang membership
JS: "There's no evidence of this. The Whanganui District Council tried to ban gang patches in public places about 10 years ago in response to their perceived gang problem down there. That was actually overturned by the High Court. The Hell's Angels challenged it, and it was found to be unlawful simply because it was too wide a brief. They've refined that so that now you can't have gang patches in any Government public places. I really don't think it has any impact on how gangs behave and I don't think it would stop anyone from joining a gang. It's just a political PR stunt to look tough on gangs, without really addressing the reasons people join them."
Fact check 7: The Government pays money to gangs
JS: "That's a common refrain and it's slightly more complicated than what you read on social media. Basically, there was a rehabilitation programme in the Hawke's Bay, of which the leader was a long-time Mongrel Mob member. They received a contract worth about $2.5 million to provide rehabilitation to anyone who might be addicted to methamphetamine. The director of that programme is a lifetime Mongrel Mob member, and this led to the perception that money was being given directly to the Mongrel Mob in Hawke's Bay. Many of the gang's members are addicted to methamphetamine but also selling [the drug]. On the surface level, it's a terrible, terrible look but on the flipside you have the argument that gang members who have gone through addiction themselves are more likely to be able to reach those who are addicted. It's not always a black and white issue, and I think there's a genuine argument that those who are qualified by experience in terms of their own criminal past or with drug addiction are in the best position to help those who want to make a positive change in their lives.
Listen to the full discussion on today's episode of the Front Page.
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The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
