Police officer wearing Mighty Mongrel Mob gang colours in photos being spread on social media

• Images of a second police officer posing in gang colours have surfaced on social media.
• Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said the photos, taken two to three years ago, are below professional standards.
• Police are investigating the incident, with their Professional Conduct group considering further action.

Images of a second police officer posing in gang colours are being spread on social media just months after the government’s controversial gang patch ban came into force.

The latest photos show the officer posing inside “an office” while wearing a Mighty Mongrel Mob vest and hat over the top of his police uniform.

It comes after Police Minister Mark Mitchell labelled photos that emerged in November showing a different officer wearing the Mangu Kaha gang patch “disappointing”.

Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said the latest photos were below professional standards, although they are understood to have been taken sometime ago.

“New Zealand Police has high expectations for its officers and this behaviour falls well short of that standard, and is disappointing,” he said.

“The image is understood to have been taken 2 to 3 years ago, and the officer pictured has come forward to take responsibility.”

Photos of a police officer in a Mighty Mongrel Mob gang vest and hat are being spread on social media. Photo / Supplied

He said police were just made aware of the photos and were now considering their next steps.

“We will be making enquiries to understand the exact situation, and it will be considered by our Professional Conduct group, before looking at what further action may be taken,” Johnson said.

The statement is a near mirror to the statement given by police in November.

In that incident, two photos were spread showing a police officer wearing a vest with the Mangu Kaha gang patch, where he appears to have been posing for the camera.

He is shown giving a front and back display of the vest worn on top of his blue police uniform.

At the time, Police Minister Mark Mitchell described the photos as disappointing, but said police would take the incident seriously.

“I’ve been advised the officer has come forward to take responsibility, and that the image is understood to have been taken in June.

“I’m sure the officer involved is feeling terrible about letting his colleagues down.”

Mitchell said police would be going through an “internal process” to determine what further action should be taken.

Many people in November expressed dismay at photos of the first officer on social media.

“How is that making the community safer? They’re making fun of the gangs,” one person said.

Another social media user said, “So why can they wear gang insignia but I can’t?”

Images of the police officer in a gang vest went viral on social media in November.

The law banning the wearing of gang insignia came into force in November and carries a fine of up to $5000 or six months’ imprisonment.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham responded to the November photos by saying police had been made aware of the images “showing a police officer wearing a gang patch in an office”.

“New Zealand Police sets high standards for its officers and this behaviour falls well short of expectations, and is disappointing,” he said.

A policeman is seen to be wearing a gang patch in this video that was shared on social media last November. Photo / Supplied

“The officer pictured has come forward to take responsibility, and the image is understood to have been taken several months ago.”

Basham said police will be making inquiries to understand the full circumstances, before looking at what action may be taken.