Not on our patch

Gone are the days when hordes of patched gang members would gather in town centres, hoon around in beaten up old cars and have raucous parties at gang pads. But the region's gang problems are by no means gone, as Daily Post reporters KELLY BLANCHARD and KATEE SHANKS discover.

Rotorua gangs are staying out of the public eye but police are worried about what is going on behind the scenes.

Gangs are becoming smarter in the way they commit crime - even resorting to cuddling up to what were once rival gangs to make money.

While police say most gangs in Rotorua are quieter than in the past, the Mongrel Mob appears to be active in recruiting young prospects to carry out their "dirty work".

The visible presence of gangs has dropped in Rotorua during the past 12 years.

The only official gang pad that remains is the Filthy Few on View Rd. But police say that gang has been quiet in recent years as a result of the more active members being in jail.

The Highway 61 gang that used to have its headquarters on Vaughan Rd doesn't exist anymore and the Black Power based in Fordlands has been relatively quiet.

Police intelligence shows a chapter of the ethnic gang Storm Troopers has started up in Western Heights with about five patched members but so far they have not come to any particular attention of police.

It is the apparent surge in new members of the Mongrel Mob that has police worried.

The Mongrel Mob went through a lull following the jailing in January 1993 of 10 patched members for a pack rape of two women. The convictions left only about six patched members in Rotorua, most of whom left the city shortly afterwards.

Not long after the convictions, the Mongrel Mob pad on Sala St burned down. Police at the time noticed a big drop in burglaries and thefts from cars in the Fenton Park area, which they attributed to fewer Mongrel Mob members being in the city.

But during recent months, police have been worried the Mongrel Mob in Rotorua is on a recruiting drive.

Senior Sergeant Dennis Murphy, who has policed gang activity in Rotorua for more than 12 years, said there were too many "hangers on" dreaming of one day being a patched Mongrel Mob member.

"These junior members or prospects have been involved in serious offending of late and it is taking place under the instructions of more senior gang members."

Mr Murphy said most of them were attracted to the "so-called glamorous lifestyle" of gangs.

"But it's far from glamorous. They are treated like slaves and have to do all sorts of demeaning activities under the instructions of senior members."

Mr Murphy said gang members were starting to realise that creating a public stir only attracted the unwanted attention of police.

He said the gang members now chose to keep a lower profile because much of the crime they were involved in was more serious.

"In the old days, gangs were constantly at war with each other.

"Now, they are doing business with each other.

"The old gang ways have given way to business dealings over methamphetamine and other drugs and stolen property."

Mr Murphy said rival gang members had been spotted hanging out with each other and people from rival gangs had been jointly charged with committing offences. He said gangs' drug businesses only boomed when other members of the public became involved in drugs.

"If you've got a normal young guy earning $800 a week who goes and gets a methamphetamine habit, he might as well push that money straight into the letterboxes of the gangs.

"No matter who you buy your drugs off, somewhere down the line it's lining the pockets of gang members."

Mr Murphy said Rotorua's gang problem was no different to any other city.

"Gang activity is more discrete but we have no doubts they are still actively involved in serious criminal offending and when and where we get evidence of that, they are arrested."