Police crack down on Nomads gang

A police crackdown on the Nomads has led to seven arrests after a spate of violence in Horowhenua sparked by the death in prison of the gang's boss, Dennis "Mossie" Hines.

The incidents in Levin and Foxton included serious assaults, two shootings and a molotov cocktail attack on a gang member's home.

Four gang members needed hospital treatment, including a stepson of Hines who was shot in the leg and hand after the gang leader's Foxton tangi on June 11.

They are believed to be linked to internal conflict in the gang and a violent leadership struggle to fill Hines' boots.

There are now calls for a gang-patch ban in Horowhenua to help combat gang violence, similar to one being introduced in Wanganui.

Yesterday, three Levin men aged 23, 28 and 31, a Shannon man, 19, and a Foxton man, 25, were charged with injuring with intent in relation to a series of assaults, including one in which a man was allegedly bashed and then locked in a car boot.

A Levin man, 42, was charged with discharging a firearm and receiving stolen goods, and a 34-year-old Levin man was charged with receiving stolen property.

They are due to appear in Levin District Court today.

Another man is appearing in another court, which police will not name because of security concerns.

No arrests have yet been made in relation to the shooting of Hines' 25-year-old stepson but Detective Senior Sergeant Marc Hercock expected more arrests to follow.

Levin mall manager and councillor Leigh Griffen-McMeeken said there had been clashes between Nomad and Mongrel gang members in the area dating back many years.

She believed gang patches should be banned throughout the district.

"Patched gang members intimidate members of the public.

"The latest incidents have been quite scary. Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws had the guts to ban patches.

"We do not want to be seen as an alternative place for gangs to set up. I do not want us to be seen as a soft spot.

"We have a problem with gang prospects people are intimidated by prospects wearing bandannas. I do not think it is fair making people feel uncomfortable, it is a type of bullying."

Parliament passed a law in May allowing Wanganui to ban gang patches.

Wanganui District Council will decide whether to pass the necessary bylaw for the ban later this month.

- © Fairfax NZ News