Photo: RNZ/ Marika Khabazi
Napier’s deputy mayor is calling on gang leaders to direct young people away from violent crime, after a serious assault that left two youths fighting for their lives in hospital.
The pair were caught up in a grievous assault in Hastings about 2am Friday and, about five hours earlier, police were called to an assault in Napier that left another two people in hospital with moderate injuries.
In response, a gang conflict warrant was issued across Hawke’s Bay, giving officers the power to search suspected gang members’ vehicles, and seize vehicles and weapons.
Napier deputy mayor Annette Brosnan said she trusted the police to do what they needed to keep people safe, and gang leaders needed to do the same.
“We need to find a way where we are not pitting young people against each other, no matter in what setting that is, and certainly in gangs where they have access to deadly weapons like we saw on Thursday night,” she said.
“What we need to be saying as a community is to call on our gang leadership to really take responsibility to reduce the harm and redirect our young people back towards community, back towards whānau, and not that sort of violent crime that we are seeing pop up.”
Every city deserved peace and justice, she said.
Kaea Karauria died in Onekawa during what police are calling a “violent disorder”.
Photo: Supplied
Brosnan said Napier was still reeling from the fatal stabbing of 15-year-old Kaea Karauria in May.
While police have stressed he had no gang connections, Annette Brosnan said the recent gang-related crimes were similarly violent.
“When you have tragedy like what happened to Kaea, your community takes a long time to heal, and every incident that looks similar in nature is going to, sort of, bring those feelings back up, and it’s not okay.”
Police continue to search for Kaea Karauria’s killer.
City councillor Keith Price, a former detective, said he would always back the police.
He felt the gang conflict warrant was “very necessary”.
“The standards to get the warrant are pretty high, and it gives them the power to, hopefully stomp on the situation,” he said.
Price said he had heard people living near where the shooting happened on Riverbend Road were concerned for their safety, but elsewhere in the city people did not seem upset.
Kāinga Ora confirmed it owned the Riverbend Road property.
“We’re aware of neighbours’ understandable concerns about their safety,” a spokesperson said.
“We are staying in close contact with police about the situation, and supporting them as much as we can in their efforts to keep our tenants and the local community safe.”
The police were calling for an end to “needless violence” and hoped the warrant would both reassure the public, and send a message to those involved that it is unacceptable.
Extra officers have been brought in to the region.
But community leader Henare O’Keeffe said that would not address the underlying causes of gang conflict.
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