Hit them where it hurts

We have always been supportive of the Gang Insignia Act, and in particular the Wanganui District Council's gang patch bylaw. We don't believe for one moment that the gangs have gone away, but we just don't see them anymore. The local shopping centre where we collect the mail from used to be "patrolled" by swaggering Black Power members. They're not there anymore, and the large numbers of elderly people in the area feel far safer.

So it's fair to say we were pleased when we read this:

A Mongrel Mob member has had his gang patch destroyed in a landmark court ruling.

Rawiri Mana Tehau, 30, appeared in Hastings District Court on Thursday and admitted a charge of obstruction relating to an incident on December 30, Hawke's Bay Today reported.

The court was told police were in pursuit of an offender who ran into an address where patched members of the Mongrel Mob were drinking.

Tehau, and others, impeded an police officer, who eventually had to retreat given the group's "aggressive nature". Tehau then faced-off with a constable, with his arms in a fighting stance.

Judge Geoff Rea sentenced him to 125 hours' community work, and at the police request, made an order for the destruction of his gang patch being worn at the time of the incident.

That's excellent news, and we commend Judge Geoff Rea for his novel sentencing solution. Gang patches are an integral part of the culture and identity of the gangs. Losing a patch is the ultimate breach of gang protocol. It is highly likely that Tehau will be expelled from the Mongrel Mob.

And the local police chief gives futher insight - read on:

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Sam Hoyle said later while the order was the first he'd heard of in Hawke's Bay, it didn't indicate a tougher police stance.

"This is a case-by-case thing," he said. "In this incident the patch formed part of the offending..."

He was unsure if the test-case would deter others. "What I do know is that they don't like losing their patches."

Sam Hoyle is dead right there. The police and Judge Geoff Rea have combined to hit Rawiri Tehau and the Mongrel Mob where it hurts the most. All power to them.

UPDATE: Just in case anyone thinks that we are overstating the significance of the gang patch, have a read of this article; here's a snippet:

Patches are sacred symbols rather like a nation's flag, says Canterbury University sociologist Greg Newbold, and, like flags, they are major trophies of war. The trophy room, with the enemies' captured colours decorating the walls, used to be a regular feature of a gang's headquarters. The Mongrel Mob and Black Power like to sew their enemies' colours to the seat of their jeans. "If you've stolen someone's patch, you've stolen their soul," Newbold says.

The gang member has a personal commitment to his patch, because it has cost him so much to receive it. Gang associates must spend at least a year as a gang serf before they can be patched, and often much longer. Mongrel Mob associates undergo trials such as "drinking excrement and urine from a gumboot, raping someone, or fighting three guys at once for a minute and surviving on your feet," writes former Mobster Tuhoe "Bruno" Isaac in his book True Red.

The gang patches are elaborate the Mongrel Mob's bulldog, the Black Power's clenched fist and are usually made to order by a local embroidery shop, says Cam Stokes, a former policeman who specialised in gang work.

The colours remain the property of the gang and must be returned if the member leaves. "The ultimate gang sin," says Gilbert, "is to lose your patch."