The number of 18-25-year-olds joining gangs has skyrocketed over the past five years, National’s Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

“New information shows there are more than 8,000 gang members in New Zealand - a 50 per cent increase since Labour came to power in 2017.

“The data reveals a concerning trend that new members aged 18-25 have increased by 75 per cent. This is the most significant increase for any age group and clearly shows that gangs are effectively targeting and recruiting young people.

“These shocking figures show that gangs are engaged in recruitment drives as they jockey for influence, control and power within the criminal underworld.

"This soft-on-crime Labour Government has created such a permissive environment for adult and youth gangs that they operate with impunity. They know there is a low chance of being caught and no serious consequences.

“Gangs target young people through social media, public displays of strength and showing off the proceeds of their criminal lifestyle. They are sophisticated, and their recruitment techniques are clearly working on young and vulnerable New Zealanders.

“Since coming to power in 2017, Labour has overseen a 21 per cent rise in violent crime, a massive increase in gang membership, nightly ram-raids on Kiwi businesses and blown-out response times from Police.

“The Prime Minister handed the Police portfolio from Poto Williams to Chris Hipkins because there had been a ‘loss of focus’. So far, gang numbers have only continued to rise under the new Police Minister."

Unlike Labour, National is backing our frontline Police officers and would give them four new tools to make their jobs easier. National would:

• Ban gang patches, which have been the recent fuel for the worst gun violence seen in New Zealand.
• Give police non-association powers to prevent gang members communicating and planning criminal activity.
• Allow police to issue dispersal notices where gang members come together in public to intimidate, threaten and sometimes assault members of the public.
• Give police the warrantless search powers they need to take the guns out of the hands of violent armed gang members.

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