Police detail Southern Lakes gang insignia arrests

A gang member and an associate have been charged after breaching the Gangs Act 2024 in the Otago Lakes Central area over the last week.

About midnight on Wednesday 11 December, police were called by a member of the public to central Queenstown, after a man was allegedly seen leaving the central business district on foot wearing a Crips gang patch. Despite a swift response by Police, they were not located.

Subsequent enquiries, conducted by local intelligence officers and the Christchurch Gang Disruption Unit, located a suspect through CCTV footage and identified him as a 36-year-old from Auckland.

Police were subsequently called to a disorder involving the same man about 5pm on Friday 13 December on Lake Esplanade. The man was arrested, a search warrant was executed on his vehicle and his gang patch was seized. He appeared before the Queenstown District Court yesterday, Monday 16 December, on a charge of prohibited display of gang insignia in a public place.

In a separate incident in Clyde, Police were conducting patrols about 12am when they saw a driver wearing a Head Hunters supporters T-shirt, in his possession police also located methamphetamine utensils, and 31 grams of cannabis.

The 45-year-old gang associate is due to appear in the Alexandra District Court on 19 December, on charges of prohibited display of gang insignia in a public place, possessing for supply cannabis plant, possessing methamphetamine utensils, and driving while disqualified 3rd or subsequent.

Otago Lakes Central Police say they will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to breaches of the new Gangs Act 2024, if people are seen wearing gang insignia in public, expect to be stopped and enforcement action to be taken.

If you witness suspicious or unlawful activity and it is happening now, please contact Police on 111, if it’s after the fact please contact Police on 105, either online or over the phone. Alternatively, you can report anonymously to Police via Crime Stoppers, on 0800 555 111.