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North Island gang members blamed for crime wave in South

Author
Otago Daily Times,
Publish Date
Fri, 29 Mar 2019, 6:50AM
Photo / File
Photo / File

North Island gang members blamed for crime wave in South

Author
Otago Daily Times,
Publish Date
Fri, 29 Mar 2019, 6:50AM

Clutha District Council Mayor Bryan Cadogan says gang members from the North Island are contributing to an unprecedented wave of organised crime in the district.

Eleven North Islanders affiliated to a gang have settled in the South after release from Otago Corrections Facility (OCF). They are among 28 North Island prisoners released to an address in Otago in the previous two years.

Cadogan said there was an assurance when the prison opened, that gang members from the North Island would be returned to their place of origin.

He understood hardened gang members from the North were asking to be released in the South, claiming they wanted to break their cycle of reoffending, but in fact were returning to a life of crime.

"They're not breaking the trend, they're just getting released down here, and that's definitely contrary to the agreement we had."

The level of organised crime in the area was worse than he had ever seen and was contributing to a "methamphetamine plague" in the South, he said.

"There is a much greater gang presence in the lower South Island than I've ever seen in my life."

Figures reveal the OCF has a significantly larger gang presence than the national average.

On January 22 this year, 60 prisoners at the Milburn prison were gang members and 133 had a gang connection or affiliation, according to figures obtained from Corrections under the Official Information Act.

In total, 40% of the of 483 inmates at OCF that day were gang members, affiliates or associates, compared to the national prison population figure of about 30%.

Corrections said in a statement "only a very small number" of North Island prisoners were released into Otago during the previous two years.

In 2017 and 2018, 775 prisoners were released from OCF. Twenty-eight of those who were released to an address in Otago had been sentenced in a North Island court.

"Only 11 of these people were affiliated to a gang," the statement said.

Cadogan says a seemingly small number of gang members or affiliates settling in a district like his could have a huge impact on the sophistication of criminality in the area.

A Corrections spokesman said only one prisoner with gang affiliations who had been sentenced in a North Island Court was released into the Clutha District from OCF in 2017 or 2018.

"We are not aware of any formal agreement stating that all prisoners accommodated at [OCF] will be returned to the location of their sentencing prior to being released.

"However we always endeavour to return prisoners to their home region to enable their successful reintegration," the Corrections spokesman said

The spokesman also said Corrections worked hard to prevent inmates returning to prison, including supporting them to address their offending and helping them overcome alcohol or drug issues.

"[OCF] is leading the way in helping ex-prisoners find employment on release, having placed nearly 100 people into work in the 12 months to January 2019."

Last month, the ODT reported prisoners and guards were living in fear of gang violence and random attacks at Otago's prison.

Corrections chief custodial officer Neil Beales said there was no evidence of a "significant" increase in the number of attacks on workers.

His comments came as three OCF staff members were assaulted in two separate incidents over two days in February, with two of them taken to hospital, sparking a review by the regional commissioner.

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