Patch ban helps cut gang numbers

Police attribute an estimated 15% drop in gang members in Wanganui to the council's ban on gang patches and strong police anti-gang operations.

Under a bylaw Wanganui District Council introduced last September, people wearing gang insignia in Wanganui could be fined $2000 and the insignia confiscated.

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws is hailing a police report on the bylaw's impact as a vindication of the council's tough stance.

The report said that within the first nine months of the bylaw being in place, there have been 13 prosecutions for wearing gang insignia. After October the number of prosecutions has fallen to no more than one a month.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/patch-ban-helps-cut-gang-numbers-3679108 

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