National's police spokesperson Simeon Brown has slammed the police and the "soft-on-crime" Government after a gang funeral procession in Porirua on Wednesday.
Over 100 cars and motorbikes travelled in procession to a Mongrel Mob member's tangi in Pukerua Bay, north of Wellington.
The event began in Cannons Creek at about 12:30pm with Police monitoring the situation. The procession travelled through Waitangirua, Ascot Park and Tītahi Bay Beach, before heading north on State Highway 1 to Whenua Tapu cemetery in Pukerua Bay.
At alert level 2 guidelines no more than 100 people are allowed to attend a funeral or tangi and organisers must legally record attendees to make sure contact tracing can happen.
Brown has criticised Police for handing over public roads to gangs and warning the "public to avoid most areas of Porirua".
"Instead of warning the gangs to follow the law, Police have instead warned the public to avoid most areas of Porirua this afternoon because of a gang funeral," Brown says. "This is yet another example of why gangs feel they are above the law under this soft-on-crime Labour Government, while law-biding Kiwis are told to stay out of their way.
"It is unacceptable that roads should be packed with gang members causing significant disruption to residents but the advice from Police is for residents is to suck it up.
"This is the second large gang event in Porirua in less than a month to cause significant disruption to local residents. New Zealanders are tired of gangs being able to do whatever they want while the Government facilitates their behaviour."
This comes after a group of more than 120 vehicles travelled from Waitangirua to Plimmerton for an 18-year-old who was killed in a crash, which saw police impound four cars and arrest two people that had links to the Mongrel Mob.
"Everyone is entitled to grieve loved ones but that right doesn't come at the expense of the safety of others," Brown says. "So far this gang funeral has already blocked roads for hours, seen gang members dropping wheelies and even blocking entire streets.
"Local residents know their complaints will fall on deaf ears from a Government that takes a soft approach on gangs, a Government that would rather force the public to watch on and tolerate gang intimidation.
"Whether it's giving $2.75 million to a Mongrel Mob-led meth programme, donating at gang hui, or the increased gang violence we are seeing, New Zealanders have had enough of the soft-on-crime approach this Labour Government has towards gangs."
