Youth gang terrifies residents

The re-emergence of gang culture among youth in Palmerston North has residents and shopkeepers worried.

Residents say a group of youths has been intimidating people, while Palmerston North-based NZ First MP Darroch Ball claims its members have taunted police with their gang name.

A dairy owner in Highbury, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the group was visibly active in the suburb, wearing patches.

‘‘The cops came and told us about them and told us to be careful.

‘‘They tell us that if they come to your shop, you can kick them out. But you can’t, because then they could come back with a whole bunch.’’

Police did not acknowledge the existence of such a group, but did confirm they had spoken to small business owners about crime prevention and safety.

Several Highbury residents approached by the Manawatu Standard said they knew about the group.

‘‘Everybody worries about them,’’ Joe Mata said. ‘‘I think they’re about 16, 19, 20. They wear their T-shirts, and they steal money from old ladies and run away.’’

Gang tensions reached their height in the city in 2002 when Black Power prospect Wallace Whatuira, 16, was shot dead. Three Mongrel Mob members were accused of being involved in his death, but the prosecution was withdrawn.

That episode inspired the suburb to engage young people and prevent them from falling through the cracks in society.

There has been little highprofile gang-related activity in the city since – apart from the violent death of Samuel Culling in 2015. He was a relative of Whatuira.

There has, however, been a series of robberies – some involving young offenders – putting shopkeepers on edge. There was also a brawl in The Plaza shopping centre.

Ball said the formation of a youth gang showed youth justice and policing approaches were not adequate.

Ball submitted a private member’s bill to Parliament proposing a tiered youth justice punishment model based on the traffic demerit system.

The youth gang had been active for about six months, he said.

‘‘The recent spate of dairy and liquor store robberies by young offenders shows the ‘cotton wool’ approach does not deter youth from committing crime over and over again.’’

Ball said police officers had told him they were upset about the lack of tools they had to deal with the young people in the group.

‘‘When they commit offences and get approached by the police, all they scream out is their gang name.’’

Safecity trustee Steve Williams said volunteer patrollers were dealing with a regular group of people aged 10 to 20 who hung out in Palmerston North’s Square and near the City Library into the early hours of Friday and Saturday.

The group had also been reported to cause ‘‘a bit of trouble’’, but he had not heard of the youth gang named by Ball.

‘‘As soon as they appear, they should be picked up. There’s legal powers that can be applied to do that.’’

Gangs expert Dr Jarrod Gilbert, from the University of Canterbury, said New Zealand gangs typically had an ageing membership and were not attractive to young people.

Youth gangs usually formed around one or two charismatic leaders, but were often short-lived.