This week our new Gangs Act came into effect, banning gang patches
in public and giving police a number of new tools to crack down on
gangs and the misery they cause.
It is now illegal to display gang insignia in public – removing the
ability for gangs to intimidate New Zealanders and incite fear in your
communities.
Police can issue new dispersal notices, which will require gang
members to immediately leave a given area and not associate with one
another for seven days.
Additionally, courts can now issue non-consorting orders, banning
gang members for communicating and associating with each other for up
to three years.
Our message to gangs is clear – the days of behaving like you are
above the law are over. Our new tools will make it far harder to
operate as a criminal gang in New Zealand.
National is serious about restoring law and order, by backing our
Police to tackle gangs, disrupt criminal behaviour and keep Kiwis
safe. With these new laws, we have delivered on the promise we made to
Kiwis before the election.
Police have wasted no time using these laws to disrupt gangs,
stopping a Mongrel Mob member three minutes after the ban took effect.
Read more from Police about the first day of enforcement here.
Have a good weekend,
