Police Secretary Chris Hipkins wants to extend the search warrant’s powers so that police can conduct gang-wide searches if he responds to ongoing gun crime.
Hipkins said the government was taking action to end “brutal” gang crime, such as shootings across Auckland that have left the country. shot at innocent residents†
To curb the increase in shootings, he said the government would extend police powers to search and seize gang property, cars and motorcycles.
New law enforcement ministers Hipkins and Kiri Allan announced the new legislation in Ōtāhuhu, a suburb of southern Auckland, after meeting with police personnel involved in Operation Cobalt†
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† House shot at in Flat Bush in Auckland on Friday night
† Motorcycles seized after investigation into gang funeral for man shot by police
† Simple lies make convicted criminals break the rules and work as guards
The two ministers took over these portfolios just a month ago, following the resignation of Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and pressure on former Police Secretary Poto Williams over gun crimes and ram raids.
Cobalt is the new national action of the police to fight gangs, with success Sustainable operationwhich targeted gangs and saw their guns and 1,800 guns taken off the streets, Hipkins said.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Police Secretary Chris Hipkins addresses the media about the new laws during an announcement in south Auckland.
Talks with police had identified areas where officers had been unable to prevent crime and obtain illegal weapons from gangs, Hipkins said.
The Crimes Act had also left a loophole where firing a gun into the street was not considered intimidating.
The current Crimes Act left a gray area on how to charge people involved in drive-by shootings, he said. To clarify the law, he said the government would commit the firing of a gun to intimidate any person or group.
Firing a gun is currently only considered an “imminent act” if you fire a gun “into a dwelling”.
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The tribesmen were involved in a shooting in Auckland. (File photo)
The other proposals to be submitted to parliament were to extend the police’s powers to search gang members.
“We want to hit gangs and other offenders where it hurts — by taking their guns, cars and motorcycles and making money laundering more difficult — while responding to increasing incidents of harassment and violence on our roads and streets and in our homes.” said Hipkins.
Search warrants for gangs
Hipkins said the problem was that search warrants could only be issued to individual people suspected of insulting or illegally holding a firearm. The warrants only pertained to specific vehicles or addresses, he said, which were not maneuverable enough to fight gangs.
In a statement, ministers said they would introduce legislation to allow police to search gangs in general as they respond to gang clashes. Their proposal would give police a 14-day warrant to search property and vehicles owned or occupied by certain gangs and their members.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Justice Minister Kiri Allan said there was no “silver bullet” to stop gangs.
The proposed law changes would also increase the police’s power to take cars and cash from gangs.
Police would be allowed to take a car for 28 days if they had “reasonable reasons” to believe it was being driven dangerously.
Hipkins said this new power to impound vehicles was in response to recent examples of gangs taking over roads.
In Marcha group of bicycles violently assaulted a 31-year-old on the Waikato Expressway after he found himself in the middle of a gang convoy.
A tit-for-tat shooting between the Killer Beez and Tribesmen MC in Auckland saw a spate of drive-by shootings in South and West Auckland†