Gang patch law: Police ready to enforce gang patch ban, which comes into effect on November 21

Over the past three months, police have held hundreds of meetings with gangs and community groups to communicate what was expected when the law came into effect.

“Some clubs have indicated a level of compliance, other clubs decide for themselves what position they will take. It’s not black and white in terms of what we’ve heard out there, but we’ve had a really good period of engagement and that’s why we’re cautiously optimistic,” said Basham.

Basham said the ban was about dealing with intimidating behavior that has characterized gang meetings and tangi in the past.

He said if it was not safe to enforce the law at the time, police would follow up on breaches afterwards.

“Safety must come first and the police are always situation dependent. A gang tangi in Auckland may be policed ​​differently to a gang tangi in other parts of the country, depending on how much notice we have. So if that’s not the case right away, we will certainly gather evidence and try to come back and enforce those laws,” Basham said.

He said that with just over a week to go, up to 97% of officers had completed an online training module to ensure their position was consistent and clear.

A Wellington police officer who did not want to be named said he felt well supported by the training, but admitted there would be an element where police would have to learn as they go.

‘One of the misconceptions is that a shitstorm will suddenly erupt on November 21, with officers with batons wrestling people with rags. But the most important thing is that there is no urgency.

“As each scenario unfolds in the future, we will simply learn more and do more as a team. You don’t have to process everything as it happens. Like any other crime, if you have the evidence, you can investigate it and follow up later,” he said.

He said evidence of breaches of the patch ban would allow police to obtain arrest warrants and have even greater powers to disrupt illegal activity.

“They may lament the loss of their place, but they certainly don’t want the police going through their homes.

“Then you find all their money and their drugs and you show up at two in the morning and you wake them up and their kids and you find their meth and their guns and everything. They don’t want that,” he said.

The officer said he was confident most gangs would see the point in not blatantly breaking the law, but there would always be exceptions.

‘There will be those who put pressure on it, but it is no different from other crimes.

“Everyone knows it’s illegal to smoke meth, but there are still people who do it. There are still people attacking people and still people committing murder. So there will still be gang members who think they are above the law and can run around with their Band-Aids, and the police will just do their best to make that happen.”