Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Act 2009

In September 2009, the Wanganui District Council introduce a by-law prohibiting the wearing of gang insignia in specified public places in Wanganui. The bylaw encompassed all urban areas in Wanganui and other outlying areas.

Prosecutions

Within the first nine months of the bylaw being in place, there have been 13 prosecutions for wearing gang insignia. After October 2009 the number of prosecutions has fallen to no more than one per month.
 
There has only been one prosecution to date for wearing full gang regalia (i.e. leather gang patch), which occured on the first day the bylaw was introduced. The remaining prosecutions were for breaches of wearing clothing (usually t'shirts) that show gang affiliation.

This graph shows the impact of the Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Inisgnia) Act 2009 bylaw on the number of gang-related prosecutions.
 

Whanganui Police view on bylaw impact

Whanganui Police believe the bylaw is acting as an effective deterrent.
Police believe that the bylaw has contributed to:

  • overt gang presence being less noticeable by the general public
  • a reduction in levels of intimidation for the community
  • a reduction in confrontations between gangs.

It is important to note that since 2009 Wanganui Police have also implemented a number of anti-gang policies. These have combined with the bylaw to reduce the impact of gangs in Wanganui.

Between March 2009 and March 2010 there has been an estimated 15% fall in the number of gang members in Wanganui. This may be due to the bylaw, but strong anti-gang operations by Police have also contributed to gang members moving out of the Wanganui area or receiving custodial sentences.

For more information about Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Act 2009, please download this fact sheet. [PDF 65KB]