Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster at a press conference on gangs. Photo / Ben Dicken
The Police Minister is hoping to do “maximum damage” to gangs with the latest Government measures to tackle them, and make New Zealand a miserable place for members.
Mark Mitchell and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster have announced New Zealand will get its own National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units.
The National Gang Unit would be a dedicated, specialised gang unit of 25-30 people with up to seven staff in every police district nationwide.
Coster said police know gang members commit a large amount of the crime - 8 per cent of all violence and 18 per cent of serious violence.
Mitchell told The Front Page the specialised unit would be focused on policing gangs and making it so uncomfortable that members want to leave.
“We want it to be as miserable as possible and as tough as possible to exist as a violent gang member peddling drugs and violence and all the harm and misery that they bring to our communities. We want it to be so tough they want to leave the gang and find a way of rejoining society in a positive way,” he said.
When it comes to helping people leave gangs behind, Mitchell said he’d be open to helping out personally.
“Especially those with families, if they want to reach out and they want some help to leave the gang, then I’m very happy to make sure that happens.
“There’s already a broad range of support and services the government can provide to gang members that are seeking the opportunity and want to free themselves and get away from the gangs.”
National floated the idea of a gang-fighting squad in 2020 - modelled on the Strike Force Raptor squad in New South Wales.
The minister has praised the Australian unit’s effectiveness, which has been responsible for more than 7500 arrests since its inception in 2009
“They’ve done outstanding work in terms of disrupting and suppressing the gangs over there. I know they have enormous community support. And when you do get a flare-up of gang violence, the first thing communities are asking for is Strike Force Raptor to arrive,” he said.
The announcement follows a rise in gang violence, including the fatal shooting of Robert Horne on Auckland’s Ponsonby Rd by Killer Beez gang member Hone Kay-Selwyn.
Mitchell said someone like Kay-Selwyn would have had far more pressure put on him if there was a dedicated gang unit there to disrupt and police gangs.
“He was carrying an illegal firearm and we’re about to give the police an additional warrant of search power under the firearms prohibition order to allow them to stop and search gang members and their vehicles in public.
“That was just a tragedy all around and highlights for us why it’s so important to do what we’re doing in terms of public safety,” he said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more from Mitchell about the latest moves to curb gangs and reduce crime.
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 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.
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