Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant James Keene:
Today, Police have made further arrests following an investigation into gang insignia breaches during the tangi for a senior Mongrel Mob member late last year.
On 14 December 2024, a major Police operation was carried out in Napier for the funeral. At the time, Police made three arrests for displaying gang insignia and four arrests for disorder offences.
During the operation, Police noted several other breaches where people were displaying gang insignia. Today we have executed 13 search warrants across the Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Wairoa, Auckland, and Dannevirke areas to seize these items.
Police have arrested 11 people: four in Wairoa, four in Hawke’s Bay, one in Dannevirke, one in Auckland, and one in Gisborne. They are all due to appear in their respective district courts in the coming week, and further arrests are likely.
At the addresses Police seized 13 items of gang insignia, including 11 gang patches, one t-shirt, and one pair of shorts.
Police also located several other unlawful items, including a replica pistol, a taser, ammunition, and 22 cannabis plants.
These items highlight the dangerous role gangs play within our communities.
We hope the arrests today are a clear reminder that Police are committed to enforcing the gang insignia legislation and that we will be taking every opportunity to not only follow up on these breaches but also any other illegal gang activity.
While it is not always possible to take immediate action on the day, our gang disruption units are dedicated to targeting the unlawful activity of gangs. We will not tolerate intimidation or breaches of the law, and this action today demonstrates that.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
