Police have continued to enforce the law that bans the display of gang patches in public places in what they are referring to as Operation Nickel.

The first arrest was made just three minutes after the the Gangs Act 2024 came into effect on Thursday, and 12 arrests were made on the first day alone.

Gang members have warned that the ban may lead to violence, but police and government were adamant the ban would work and make people safer.

In the 24 hours from Friday to Saturday, police have reported multiple new breaches of the law and made several arrests.

Bay of Plenty

Around 5.25pm on Friday, police in Whakatāne noticed a vehicle was missing its front bumper on Bridge Street.

The driver was a 28-year-old member of Black Power and was allegedly wearing a Black Power cap, police reported.

When they approached the man, he had changed his cap to a plain one.

When police asked the man about the the original cap, he handed it over and was arrested.

A further two people were taken into police custody in Eastern Bay of Plenty for displaying gang insignia: a 21-year-old Black Power member and a 52-year-old with gang associations, police reported.

Counties Manukau

Police conducting a road checkpoint on Mount Wellington Highway about 10pm on Friday noticed a passenger wearing a Head Hunters supporters sweatshirt.

The man had no known gang links but the sweatshirt was seized and the man was bailed to appear in Auckland District Court on 28 November.

Wellington

Police arrested a patched Black Power member wearing a Nomads baseball cap in Cuba Mall about 12.45am on Saturday.

The 27-year-old was due in court on 28 November on a gang insignia charge, and on a charge of possessing instruments for methamphetamine use.

Eastern

On Friday morning, Hastings police saw a man walking along Southampton Street wearing a sweatshirt with a Mongrel Mob symbol.

The 30-year-old Mongrel Mob member was arrested and he was due to appear in court on Saturday.

Central

Shortly before 9am in New Plymouth yesterday, a shoplifting report was made through retail crime prevention platform Auror, with the offender identifiable and wearing clothing with Black Power-related insignia.

A search warrant was obtained, and the 51-year-old man was arrested inside a store in Waitara later that afternoon.

He was due to appear in court on November 27, police reported.

Also on Friday, a 35-year-old Mongrel Mob member was seen by police running north on High Street in Dannevirke wearing a Mongrel Mob shirt.

He was due in court in Dannevirke on November 27, police reported.

Later on Friday in Marton, a woman was seen wearing gang clothing.

Police established that she had just been released from prison and was wearing the same clothing she had worn going in.

She was given a warning, police reported.

RNZ