Coromandel gang violence over the weekend a ‘one-off’, councillor John Morrissey says

By RNZ

A Thames-Coromandel district councillor who was also a police officer in Coromandel Township for 27 years says it is safe, and incidents of gang violence over the weekend were a one-off.

Although he declined to give more details, John Morrissey said the assaults reported over the weekend were not a random attack.

“There is always a background to these things,” he said.

Police said they were aware a group of approximately 12 gang members and associates travelled through the Coromandel Peninsula over the weekend.

Inspector Mike Henwood said police responded to one formal report of a group of people fighting.

Three people were later taken to Thames Hospital with various injuries.

Police have spoken with those involved, but no complaints have been made so far and they have not received any other reports of unlawful activity.

Morrissey said he checked with the local police to find out what happened over the weekend.

“Certainly, people rang the police to inform them the gang members were in town, but there were no actual reports of intimidation, thefts or general mayhem.”

Morrissey said people were aware crime levels across the country were increasing and he shared their concerns, but he still felt safe walking down the main street.

The MP for the Coromandel, Scott Simpson, is holding a public safety meeting on Wednesday evening in the Coromandel to address the weekend’s events.

National leader Christopher Luxon said the scenes of gang violence in Coromandel Township over the weekend were shocking and appalling.

Luxon said the fight, captured on video and circulating on the internet, was another example of crime being out of control.

The country had seen a lot of violent crime over the last 48 hours, and National would back the police and tackle the gangs, he said.