“Gang members make up less than one-quarter of 1% of the New Zealand adult population, but are linked to 18% of all serious violent crime, 19% of all homicides, and 23% of all firearms offences.
“Our message to the gangs is clear, the days of behaving like you are above the law are over,” Police Minister Mark Mitchell said.
But, lifetime Black Power member and community advocate Denis O‘Reilly told The Front Page he doubts it will alleviate anything.
“It’s not what you wear, it’s how you behave that’s the issue. If we focused on behaviours, that’s where we’ll get societal change,” he said.
“The advice from most leaders is to leave your patch at home until we see how this thing works out.
“It’s semiotics. You start to try and unpick these things at a semiotic level you end up in a struggle and you could end up with the Nike swish.
“In a way, this legislation is just pandering to an anxious, white, middle-class population, who the research demonstrates are the people least likely to be affected by gang activity.”
When it comes to members who perpetrate crime, O‘Reilly claimed it is a small percentage.
“I think most are taxpaying New Zealand citizens and struggling to be good parents. In the same way as cricketers and whatever might use cocaine or other people indulging in different sorts of recreational substances, so do gang members.”
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has said, “To earn the right to wear a gang patch you have to have committed a violent crime”.
O‘Reilly said that’s a common misconception.
“I earned a patch and I don’t think I did anything bad. I’m no saint, but, I was good at organising work, finding people accommodation, and helping people get representation in the law,” he said.
However, he does concede that “there will be crews who have different morals and values.”
“It’s all dependent upon leadership. There will be maladjusted leaders and one group that a generation before may have been led in a very positive direction that may then go down a very negative direction.
“I think the arrival of methamphetamine changed a whole lot of things,” he said.
There is a lot of energy put on “cracking down” on gangs, O’Reilly said, when there are other places to look too.
“We have real international criminal organisations working in this country. I put it to you that they might dress in suits and attend large political party fundraisers, that’s really where the money is,” he said.
O’Reilly said the best way to tackle gang issues, is to engage.
“Rather than alienating and marginalising them, let’s work with them.
“Let’s back off, calm down, and get back on track in terms of engaging people in work and believing that our young people are full of potential rather than pathology.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about why new laws targeting gangs might backfire, and what else could be done.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based senior journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
