Wanganui's gangs 'have accepted' ban on patches

Wanganui's top police officer says the city's gang patch ban, in place for three months, is working well and gangs appear to be accepting it.

Three men have been convicted under the new legislation, with a further four cases currently before the courts. One man has had a charge against him dismissed.

The ban on gang insignia came into force on September 1, and area commander Inspector Duncan MacLeod said it appeared to be working well. He was not aware of any resistance during arrests.

"The feedback of the guys on the street is that there's no sign of any problems and [the gangs] seem to be accepting it."

Among those convicted was Wanganui Mongrel Mob president Peter Randal Nahona, who was fined $500 after pleading guilty to wearing a gang hat and sweatshirt on September 2. Nahona, 46, also faces a second charge under the bylaw for wearing Mongrel Mob insignia in public on October 16.

He has pleaded not guilty and will return to court for a status hearing on December 21.

Thomas Te Aho, 40, was fined $500 for displaying a Black Power patch on September 30.

Tribesman member John Ratana pleaded guilty to wearing a gang patch while riding a motorcycle through the city the day the legislation came into force, and will be sentenced on November 26.

Bryan Moore, 41, has pleaded not guilty to wearing Hells Angels insignia on September 7, and faces a defended hearing on December 3.

Drago Nikora, 32, has yet to enter a plea after being arrested for wearing Mongrel Mob insignia on October 25 and will reappear in Wanganui District Court on December 21.

Mongrel Mob member Brett Beamsley had the charge against him dropped after a police staff member accepted that a bulldog insignia on his beanie was not a gang logo.

Central area commander Superintendent Russell Gibson has acknowledged that dropping the charge was a mistake.

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws said the community had noted the lack of gang colours and insignia in the city and said they felt safer. "We said it would work. It's working."

One woman who had lived in Parapara for 40 years before moving to Australia wrote to congratulate him on the lack of gangs. "A big plus was the lack of swaggering black jackets, which is different from a few years ago," she wrote.

Mr Laws said there was anecdotal evidence that some gangs were leaving town. Motorcycle gangs had removed their insignia from their bikes to avoid having them confiscated while driving through.

"The gangs have wised up – if they seek to defy the bill they get worked over completely, their car is searched, their property is searched."

- © Fairfax NZ News