Thanks Mark and Todd

The Prohibition of Gang Insignia Government Premises Bill passed its Third Reading in Parliament last night. Sponsored by National MP Mark Mitchell after Todd McClay's elevation to Minister of Revenue the Bill prohibits the wearing of gang patches in government buildings, schools and hospitals. The Herald reports:

A bill banning gang insignia in places owned by the Crown or local authorities has passed into law tonight.
Police would be given the power to seize gang patches and official colours within a few days. Offenders could be faced with a $2000 fine.
The Prohibition of Gang Insignia Government Premises Bill's sponsor MP Mark Mitchell said he did not expect an escalation in tension between police and gang members as a result of the changes.
He believed the law change would act as a deterrent and would not generate a greater workload for police officers responding to complaints about gang members in public spaces.
The law change will apply to 34 gangs identified in the legislation, but also allows the Minister of Police to identify an organisation as a gang.

Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that we support the passage of this Bill wholeheartedly. Gang members hunt in packs, and rely on their patches for the intimidation factor. Stripped of their patches, they lose that. We saw that happen in Wanganui when patches were banned here. In our suburb, the Black Power literally disappeared overnight, and the community breathed a sigh of relief. Even though the ban has been overturned whilst the District Council reconsiders its reapplication, patches are a rare sight now.

Gang members only ever get one patch, and they are expected to guard it with their lives. To have the patch seized by police and destroyed would be the ultimate indignity for a gang member, not that we would have any sympathy for them at all.

National, Act, NZ First, Peter Dunne and Brendan Horan voted in favour of the Bill last night. We can understand that the Greens and Mana would oppose it, but Labour's opposition is noteworthy. Speakers such as Phil Goff and Kris Faafoi tried to make this an issue of social justice but it is not. Gangs are groups of criminals who operate with criminal intent, and the Labour Party sided with them last night. Waitakere Man will not be happy.

We congratulate Todd McClay who initiated this legislation, and Mark Mitchell who picked up the ball and took it to the try-line. Gangs have no place in a civilised society, and this is another step towards countering the misery they bring.