Wanganui plans anti-gang bylaw

Gang patches will soon be history in Wanganui's business district and public areas if residents accept a bylaw proposed by the district council.

The council called an extraordinary meeting to discuss ways of regulating gang behaviour and activities after a series of violent confrontations in downtown Wanganui and at the hospital between gang members.

"A sphere of intimidation is what gangs have brought to our community - 'intimidation' is the byword and watchword of gangs," Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws said.

"It is time for this council to say, 'No more'. We can enact a bylaw that allows people to feel safer on the streets and removes the 'strut factor' of the gangs and their intimidation of the people of Wanganui."

The bylaw will be drafted as a matter of urgency after support from the council at the meeting yesterday afternoon.

The draft bylaw will be reported to the strategy committee's meeting on March 23 and, after council approval, will be published for community consultation.

Some council members at the meeting were concerned by the addition of the words "public places". The original wording had only said "CBD".

But Mr Laws said public places only meant areas where the public congregated to enjoy themselves and it would not mean every street in the town was affected.

"So places like parks, reserves, beaches and things like that," he explained on National Radio.

He said the council was still working on enforcement procedures with the police.

"It's designed to give police another tool by which they can hoover up potential troublemakers before that trouble occurs."

Mr Laws said anyone wearing a gang patch would be arrested immediately.

"If you're flouting the law - in exactly the same way if you are drinking liquor in a public place in a liquor-free area - you'll be arrested, end of story."

Central district police commander Superintendent Mark Lammas said he supported the council's move to ban gangs wearing patches in the area.

"It's a council and community saying, 'We do not want gang patches in our CBD and possibly in the wider Wanganui area'. As a minimum it will be symbolic and a powerful message to gangs."

Mr Lammas said the bylaw would be effective only if the police were given the powers to immediately arrest anyone wearing a patch.

He said police had to come up with an operation where gang offending was continually focused on.

"Because history tells us that gangs would be putting their heads down for a little tiny while, while the spotlight is on them, but the moment the spotlight moves they reappear and continue to offend."

Gangs would never disappear, but hopefully the bylaw would force them to behave lawfully, Mr Lammas said.

Mr Laws said that to completely rid the town of gangs, a central Government was needed with the will to say it would ban gangs, with legislation and resources to back it up, action by local government and a community not prepared to accept the intimidation any more.

"Some countries have done it, some cities have done it and some provinces have done it overseas.

"We're starting in Wanganui. And I think if the initiative works here I think that you will find that it will have a ripple effect throughout the country."

Mr Laws said the bylaw would come into effect by July or August.

- NZPA