New Zealand police are gearing up to enforce a ban on gang patches in public, a change set to take effect on November 21.

The move, aimed at reducing the visible presence and influence of gangs, has been met with extensive preparation by police forces.

In an interview with Chris Lynch, Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said police are well-prepared for the new law, having taken significant steps to ensure its effective enforcement.

“We’ve done a hell of a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that we’ve got all the systems we need in place to support our operational activity,” Hill said.

Police have also focused on educating officers on the nuances of the legislation, ensuring that they are ready to interpret and enforce the law as soon as it comes into effect.

“We’ve had conversations with government organisations as they might feel the impact of some of this. We’ve obviously had conversations with iwi at various levels to talk about the incoming legislation and the gang members themselves,” he said.

He said gang members seem inclined to comply with the legislation, not wanting to risk losing their patches, which hold significant value to them. “We’re seeing really good indications that compliance will be the focus of the new legislation,” Hill said.

Last weekend, a police presence at a gang event in Christchurch  outnumber gang members, an effort Hill acknowledged was both a strategic move and a reassurance to the community.

“If gang members are coming to the town for any particular reason, then we will resource that appropriately,” Hill said. “We wanted our community to feel safe while they’re in here.”

The heightened police presence received positive feedback from the public, with many community members expressing relief Hill said.

“We know that gangs are disproportionately high in terms of the harm they cause in communities,” Hill said, adding that the weekend operation was a success in helping residents feel safer.

Regarding the impact of recent arrests linked to gangs, particularly those involving the Comancheros across Canterbury, Hill said it was still too early to measure the long-term outcomes. “What we’re really interested to see is, are we going to see a reduction in the harm that was being caused by the offending that they were doing?” he said, adding that police will monitor various indicators to assess whether these efforts are making a tangible difference.