Gang patch ban: How many charges laid in Central District

Police have laid 33 charges relating to gang insignia breaches in the Central District - which includes Whanganui - since the new gang patch laws came into effect.

It has been three months since the Govenment’s new laws under the Gangs Act came into force, and in that time 337 charges for insignia breaches have been laid nationally.

The 33 insignia breach charges in the Central District came alongside 340 other charges, including drugs, firearms and serious violence.

Whanganui Police Area Commander Neil Forlong said policing the act had gone well in Whanganui with “only a handful of incidents”.

Forlong said it was “very early days, but there had been no issues to date”.

There were 76 gang patches seized by police across New Zealand under the new law.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the legislation was “meant to be uncomfortable”.

“If you don’t like it, don’t break the law, it’s that simple. Gang members want all the rights of being a New Zealander, but accept none of the responsibilities.”

The two-and-a-half year project Operation Cobalt has also focused on cracking down on unlawful gang activity.

It was announced last year the operation would continue.

Operation Cobalt has resulted in 107,073 charges nationally.

For the Central District, there were 11,194 charges, 12,376 traffic infringement notices and 113 firearms seized during Operation Cobalt.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.