WHO ARE THE MONGREL MOB?

• Mongrel Mob lore has it the gang was formed when some teens fronted the Hastings Magistrates Court in New Zealand and were called mongrels. The year is questioned, but it is widely thought to have been in the late 1950s or early ’60s.

• By the early 1960s teens from Wellington and Hastings had formed the “Mongrels”, with the gang spreading from its believed point of birth, Hastings.

• Began with petty crimes in the Hastings and Wellington areas.

• Started using Nazi symbolism in the 1960s to shock people. There is no indication though of anti-semitic alignments in the now predominantly Maori and Pacific Islander based club today.

• Started using a salute that appears to be a mix of the Shaka Sigh (extending the pinky and thumb, while closing your middle three fingers to the palm) and either raising their arm or holding it close to their body.

• Incorporated the gang symbol of a bulldog wearing a helmet, sometimes with a Nazi SS logo or a swastika on it.

• Started barking like dogs to intimidate people around the same time.

• In the early days they would fight prospective members of the gang to see if they were worthy of joining. It is believed this still occurs.

• By the 1970s the gang had spread across New Zealand and had officially become the Mongrel Mob.

• The gang has a history of horrific crimes, from rape to murder and drug production.

• Gang has a bitter rivalry with Black Power, another New Zealand gang predominantly comprising Maori members.

• The gang is thought to have only entered the Gold Coast in the past year, while it has been known to operate at Eagleby, in Logan, for a number of years. It has also had a presence in Melbourne for a number of years.