Police Minister Mark Mitchell
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A Mongrel Mob member has been accused of displaying a gang sign on the dashboard of his car overnight.

The new gang patch law came into effect at midnight. The first person under the ban was caught on Thursday at 12:03.

Police said a 51-year-old Napier man was issued a summons to appear in court after officers spotted a large Mongrel Mob sign on the dashboard of his car in Hastings.

The sign was confiscated.

Read more:

New police commissioner Richard Chambers said charging a man overnight had gone “well”.

Chambers was advertised for the top job on Wednesday and start on Monday.

he said Morning report there were no other incidents under the new legislation that he was aware of.

“Obviously, as time goes on, I would expect there to be more.”

When officers stopped the car in Hastings, the man was not wearing a patch, Chambers said. But he said the man had the sign on his dashboard that was against the new law.

It was handled “well, very professionally, no problems,” Chambers said.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said Morning report gang members, he believed from the Mongrel Mob, had come to test the law.

“We went out and tried to be defiant at midnight with a display of gang patches and action was taken.”

Mitchell was adamant the law would make the public and police officers safer.

He said people who criticized the law were “gang apologists”.

Mitchell believed similar laws were operating in Australia.

“We’re going to start using law enforcement to shut down gangs and make it much more difficult to be a violent gang member in this country.”

Officers in support

Police officers are backing the new law banning gang patches which came into effect today, their union says.

A new ban on gang patches, as well as dispersal and non-consorting laws, went into effect on Thursday.

People caught today displaying gang insignia in public will face a $5,000 fine or up to six months in jail.

Police Association vice president Steve Watt said Morning report last month he had started a gang education and involvement program.

“We are reasonably confident that the police have the resources in place, the process in place.

“We support this legislation and we stand ready to implement it,” Watt said.

Officers supported anything that might disrupt the gangs, he said.

And he believed the legislation would make New Zealanders feel and be safer.

“Theatre” from the government

Deputy Labor leader Carmel Sepuloni said First of all prohibition would not result in fewer gang members.

“Fundamentally it’s not going to change the situation in terms of gangs, so I think this is all just theater from the government trying to look tough on crime, the reality is it’s not going to affect the reasons why people get into gangs.”

She saw some people with band-aids at the hīkoi on Tuesday and wondered what the police would have done in the situation.

“It could have been really harmful for everybody.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox. of email every day of the week.