Gang membership continues to surge in New Zealand and they will soon outnumber police officers, National’s Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

“New data reveals the National Gang List has grown to 9,100 – a record and an increase of 70 per cent since Labour came to power.

“There are already nine gang members to every 10 police officers in New Zealand, but gangs are recruiting twice as fast.

“In some policing districts, such as Eastern and Bay of Plenty, gang members already double the number of Police officers.

“This data shows that gangs have thrived under a Labour Government that has completely turned a blind eye to law and order and rising crime.

“National’s suite of law and order policies will clamp down on gangs that contribute nothing to society and peddle misery in our communities.”

A National government will:

• Ban gang patches in public places.
• Allow police to issue dispersal notices where gang members come together in public to intimidate, threaten, and sometimes assault members of the public.
• Giving police non-association powers to prevent gang members from communicating and planning criminal activity.
• Equip police with the warrantless search powers they need to take the guns out of the hands of violent armed gang members.
• Crack down on serious youth offenders by creating young offender military academies and wrap support around them.
• Make membership of a gang an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing, so gang members convicted of an offence face tougher consequences for their crimes.

“National's message is clear: If you choose to align yourself with a criminal gang and engage in criminal activities, you will face more severe consequences.”