Rotorua police given special search powers to quell gang conflict

Rotorua police have been granted special search powers to dampen down “tit-for-tat” gang conflict following a shooting and a stabbing in public places days apart.

The tension has also resulted in Rotorua MP Todd McClay requesting extra police staff be brought into the city temporarily because Rotorua needed “special attention”.

Police told the Rotorua Daily Post in a statement the Rotorua District Court granted police gang conflict warrants under the Search and Surveillance Act.

These let police search suspected gang members’ houses and vehicles without specific search warrants.

Police had been using the special search powers since Tuesday last week, the day after a 24-year-old man suffered critical injuries after he was shot in the leg late at night in the carpark of Te Ngae Shopping Centre.

He is still in Rotorua Hospital in a stable condition.

Police investigate the scene of shooting at the Te Ngae shopping centre. Photo / Andrew Warner

The shooting came days after a stabbing on March 8 at a nearby roundabout.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika said in the emailed statement police were following strong leads in the March 11 shooting investigation.

Ngawhika said three people had been charged relating to an alleged gang-related stabbing at a nearby roundabout just before midday on March 8.

“Those involved in recent incidents in Te Ngae are believed to be associated with, or members of, opposing organised criminal groups,” Ngawhika said.

He said police recognised the unease the behaviour of those groups caused and they were working to ensure locals felt safe and could go about their daily business.

“Rotorua is a vibrant place that people can come to and enjoy, and police will continue to disrupt and prevent gang activities from escalating, using any legislative powers necessary to do that.”

The special powers were part of an amendment to the Search and Surveillance Act 2012 brought in by Labour last year to seize weapons during times of gang conflict.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika. Photo / Andrew Warner

The warrants were used in Ōpōtiki last year when police were addressing Mongrel Mob and Black Power tensions following the death of Mongrel Mob Barbarians president Steven Taiatini.

Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post, Ngawhika said the search powers were working well in Rotorua to quell any conflict or confrontations, as there had been little trouble since the shooting last week.

Police had not made it public they had the search warrants, but he said word quickly spread among the gang fraternity. He said gang members had a good understanding of what the search powers meant after the Ōpōtiki case.

Asked what sparked the latest tensions between the Mongrel Mob and Black Power gangs in Rotorua, Ngawhika said it did not appear to be anything specific.

Police have been given special search powers to quell tensions between the Black Power and Mongrel Mob gangs in Rotorua. Photos / NZME

“It’s just been ongoing tit-for-tat stuff. It also depends who you ask.

“A lot of people say the young ones are out of control and the older ones try to fly under the radar but in terms of the latest shooting, police are still working on that.”

MP requests more police for Rotorua

McClay has asked Police Minister Mark Mitchell for more police for Rotorua because he says the city needs “special attention”.

He said new search powers were good but on their own not enough to keep on top of gang tensions.

He said the National Government’s pending tougher gang laws – including banning gang patches in public, stopping public gang meetings, preventing gang members communicating with each other and making it an aggravating feature at court sentencings – would help.

“The problem with gangs was much, much worse than anyone was led to believe and the work we are doing around this is ongoing.”

Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo / Andrew Warner

McClay said he had a lot of respect for Rotorua police and officers’ work but he believed the reality was they were understaffed as a result of gang tensions and issues relating to homeless people moving to the city over recent years.

He said there were “challenges” with police numbers but Rotorua needed “special attention for a period of time and that’s why I have made a case to the Police Minister”.

Mitchell told the Rotorua Daily Post he was looking at McClay’s request.

“It is clear that as a result of homeless motels and growing gang presence that Rotorua is feeling pressured,” he said.

“While it is for the police to decide where to put resources, Government is committed to recruiting 500 extra police and to target gangs and the harm that they do.”

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell. Photo / Andrew Warner.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said recent violent and dangerous behaviour was unacceptable.

“We’re supporting our police to ensure anyone who decides to disrupt our community with crime is caught.”

She said she was scheduled to meet with Mitchell to discuss ways to keep the Rotorua community safe.

“Council has prioritised community safety and we’ve seen good progress to improve community safety in the inner city. We know there’s more work to be done across our district and that’ll continue to be a focus for us.”

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.