File pic Photo: RNZ / John Edens
Police have slapped gang members with a dispersal notice in a first under new Gangs Act legislation.
Paul Basham Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said the notice was issued on 7 March to patched members of the Head Hunters gang, making it an offence for them to associate over the following seven days.
The notice came after police responded to a gun being pulled at an address in Torbay on Auckland's North Shore.
Assistant Commissioner Basham said the offenders fled in three vehicles.
Two of the vehicles were later caught up in an armed police traffic stop at the on-ramp of the Northern Motorway at Oteha Valley Road.
Six people were detained and a search of the vehicles uncovered at loaded handgun and cannabis, Basham said.
A 28-year-old man facing firearms charges has been remanded in custody and is due to reappear in North Shore District Court, while an 18-year-old has been summonsed to the court on cannabis charges.
Basham said the dispersal notice was issued to all occupants of the cars stopped on the on-ramp, including three patched members of the HeadHunters motorcycle gang and gang associates.
"The dispersal notice stipulates that they must leave the area immediately and not associate with each other for seven days."
As of last Tuesday, 403 charges had been laid for insignia breaches under the new law.
Over the same period, more than 4000 charges have been laid against gang members.
Assistant Commissioner Basham said: "It's still early days but anecdotally we are seeing that new powers are meaning gangs have been forced to rethink their behaviour in public.
""We continue to encourage this high level of compliance and good judgment."
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