Police say gangs behind run of Invercargill shootings

Tuesday, 23 February 2021

Southland area commander inspector Mike Bowman, at the Invercargill police station.

Police say a run of shootings in Invercargill are gang related, involving Mongrel Mob and Black Power.

Southland area commander Mike Bowman says police were still investigating but believed the incidents could relate to inter-gang rivalry, organised crime or drugs.

At least five shots were fired at a house in Waikiwi on December 14, which police are still investigating.

Two men face charges after a gun was allegedly pulled during a gang scuffle in the Glengarry Tavern on February 6.

* Gang activity becoming more noticeable in the south

* Gangs playing 'Russian roulette' with tit-for-tat shootings

A house in Kew was shot at on February 11, another in Glengarry on February 12.

Mongrel Mob members seen on Tweed St, Invercargill, on September 10, 2020.

After the February 12 shooting, police were armed for three days.

Mongrel Mob and Black Power members were being more overt by wearing their patches in public, inspector Bowman said.

Mongrel Mob members from across the country gathered in Mataura earlier this month including some members riding to Bluff.

“Gangs are very transient … gangs are being a lot more overt in their presence, and you’ll see various gangs coming through Southland and you’ll see them going through Central Lakes area.”

“We’re catching up unfortunately with the rest of New Zealand. Thankfully they’re not staying, they’re just visiting, for whatever reason.”

There was more overt activity by multiple gangs passing through Southland, he said.

People were not people coming down to Southland and joining, just the ones here wearing their patches more, he said.

Bowman was sure there were patching ceremonies, but not a big increase.

Sociologist and gang expert Dr Jarrod Gilbert.

He was not aware of a third group in Invercargill and believed there were enough police to deal with the gangs.

“Both gangs are engaging with us which is really pleasing. Our team is working really hard with the leaders of both those gangs to build up that relationship or an ongoing relationship.”

Police data shows an increase of 96 people on the National Gang List in the Southern police district [including Dunedin and Otago-Lakes], from October 2017 to February 2020.

The number of people on the list went from 134 to 230 in that period, across the district.

Nationally, police reported almost 900 people joined a gang in 2020, taking the total to more than 7000.

Gang expert Dr Jarrod Gilbert said police data collection for the national list was highly inaccurate.

The essential issue: it was easy to be placed on the gang list and difficult to be removed, he said.

Whenever gangs move, there are tensions, but issues in Southland were similar to those all around the country, Gilbert said.

When people were discharging firearms in the community, the public had the right to be informed and generally the police were very good at dealing with spikes in activity, Gilbert said.

It was right for the public to be concerned at increased gang activity, but important for that not to turn into panic, Gilbert said.

Last week police announced a programme called Operation Tauwhiro to disrupt and prevent firearms-related violence by criminal gangs and organised crime groups.

Each police district had autonomy in how they implement it, and Bowman said southern police were ahead of the curve in targetting illegal firearms and understanding the impact of methamphetamine.