Laws slams 'bizarre' gang invitation

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws has described as "bizarre and wrong" the decision by at least three district councillors to accept an invitation to visit the Hells Angel gang headquarters in the city.

It could only provide support for criminals and their wrong-doing, he said today.

The invitation apparently does not include Mr Laws and so far three councillors - Rob Vinsen, Philippa Baker-Hogan and Sue Westwood - were understood to have accepted the invitation.

But Mr Vinsen, whom Mr Laws described as the "local criminal gangs' leading apologist", said tonight at least six Wanganui District councillors would visit Hells Angels' property in the city next Tuesday.

High fences around the property in Kaikokopu Rd have come under scrutiny from the council after Parliament amended the Local Government Act to allow councils and police to seek a removal order for fences or other structures that were intimidating or contributed to illegal activities.

Mr Laws said the council should take some leadership on the matter and apply to Wanganui District Court to have the fortifications removed.

Police had already raised the issue of the fences with the council on a number of occasions, he said.

A move at a council meeting last month to have the fences removed failed, but an amendment passed -- moved by Ms Westwood and seconded by Mr Vinsen -- was "that the council's officers liaise with the Wanganui Police, and pending their advice, investigate whether the property at 48 and 50 Kaikokopu Road meets all the requirements for removal of the fence, as set out in the amendment to the Local Government Act 2002."

"We are awaiting the advice of the police," Mr Laws said.

"I have little doubt that their written evidence will match their earlier oral advice."

Mr Laws said Hells Angels had been defined as a criminal gang, heavily involved in drug-dealing, violence and other criminal acts, by both the police and Parliament.

"They are even defined as such in the parliamentary legislation that gave the council the right to ban their patches and insignia from public places," he said

"Councillor Vinsen has become their leading advocate and seeming messenger,.

"It is unconscionable that an elected official should play such a role."

Mr Vinsen said he thought Mr Laws' suggestion he was an apologist for gangs "a stupid, ridiculous statement".

"All I'm interested in this thing really is that any citizen, no matter who they are, is treated in a fair manner.

"If a fence is going to come down from any property, there has to be just cause for that and there's no evidence been produced that taking down this fence would make one iota of difference to any supposed criminal activity that may or may not take place in there."

Mr Vinsen said if police produced evidence and said there was criminal activity and that the fence was aiding that criminal activity and making it difficult for them to perform their policing role, then he would support taking it down.

"But the police have not produced any evidence at all...the only statement that's come forward is from council officers and Mayor Laws who say that the police are supportive," Mr Vinsen said.

"Any other statement on criminal activity there has come from Mayor Laws."

He said the other issue was that the council should get involved if the public, and specifically the neighbours, were intimidated by the Hells Angels.

"Now they have responded overwhelmingly in a survey to me to say, firstly, they're not intimidated, and, secondly, they don't want the fence to come down.

"They're not worried about the Hells Angels' privacy, they're worried about their own, and that's what they're saying," Mr Vinsen said.

"There's at least six Wanganui District councillors going to visit Hells Angels headquarters next Tuesday to see for ourselves whether there's any reason at all why we should support the fence coming down."

- NZPA