Notorious gang is ‘here to stay’
‘‘We are not going out looking for fights or anything – we are just trying to establish our club.’’
Christchurch Mongols member
A notorious bikie gang that has set up a clubhouse on the outskirts of Christchurch will not retaliate to suspected attacks from rivals, a patched member says.
The Press revealed Mongols MC, involved in a recent North Island shooting, appeared to have expanded into the South Island after senior members, including national president Jim Thacker, travelled to the city and started a new chapter of the gang.
On Friday, a tattoo parlour and barbershop connected to the gang were badly damaged in what appeared to be targeted attacks.
Bristol Barbers in Wainoni was set alight about 3.30am, Friday. About 45 minutes later, a stolen ute smashed into King of Ink in Linwood.
Sources told The Press the gang recently established a clubhouse in Main South Rd at The Old Sawmill in Burnham, opposite the Burnham Military Camp.
A patched member of the gang, who declined to give his full name, confirmed the gang had a clubhouse at the address but said it was not connected to the business also on site.
Former members of the Hells Angels are involved with the Christchurch chapter. A woman connected to one of those men is the owner of King of Ink Ltd, the company that owns the tattoo parlour. The patched member confirmed the barbershop was also ‘‘sort of’’ connected to the gang.
‘‘We have not caused any trouble, it is just people not wanting us around . . . we are new to town.’’
It was too soon to say whether the incidents were an attack on the gang, he said.
‘‘We are not going out to go get some revenge or anything like that because that is just what everyone expects.
‘‘That is just stupid, we would rather just keep our family safe and move on with life, and start our businesses and be happy and ride motorbikes.
‘‘We just let the cops do the job because we don’t want the community to feel scared . . . that is not what we are about.’’
He expected police to come knocking on the doors of the clubhouse in the coming days.
The member, who is from the North Island but has lived in the South Island for about seven years, said the gang moved into Burnham last year.
He declined to say how big the gang was but said some of the members included former Hells Angels members and deportees from Australia.
The Christchurch incidents come at a time when gang tensions in other parts of the country, particularly the Bay of Plenty, have reached boiling point. Mongols members are believed to have been involved in a shooting late last month that left a Mongrel Moblinked property in Tauranga riddled with bullets.
The attack was thought to be in response to the arson of a Mongolslinked barbershop, Faded N Bladed.
‘‘As long as we are not dabbling in their turf or anything, we should not have any issues but gangs are going to fight all the time,’’ the Christchurch member said.
‘‘We are not going out looking for fights or anything – we are just trying to establish our club.’’
The gang was ‘‘here to stay’’ in Canterbury, he said.
Canterbury district commander Superintendent John Price said on Friday he was aware some gang members in Christchurch had recently patched over to the Mongols, which had created unrest within the underworld.
Gangs were not welcome in the city and police were watching them ‘‘overtly and covertly’’, he said.