Labour MP Willie Jackson says banning gang patches will waste money and won’t make communities safer.
A select committee is considering the Gang Legislation Amendment Bill which would impose fines of up to $5000 or a short term of imprisonment for people are found to be wearing gang insignia in public.
Mr Jackson says the sight of gang members might unsettle some people, but it’s a simplistic approach to a complex set of problems.
“We can’t just say ‘oh just take the patches off them and that’s it’ because that’s not it. Because there’s so much that goes on after that so we know what this National government’s up to, it’s just about trying to look tough but do nothing afterwards,” he says.
Mr Jackson says tackling gangs means investing in communities and in iwi and urban Maori authorities who are able to address issues on the ground.
- Waatea News