OFF THE WIRE
BY: Sandra Conchie
bayofplentytimes.co.nz
Police stopped dozens of gang members on motorbikes as they returned to their pad after burying one of their own yesterday.
More than 20 police officers were seen at the road block near Koromiko St, just off Takitimu Dr.
Members of the Filthy Few were joined by other gang members in a procession back to their Judea headquarters after the funeral of fellow member Louis Gray-Morgan at Pyes Pa.
The 24-year-old Te Puna father-of-three was riding his Harley Davidson motorbike towards his home on the evening of August 4 when he collided with two teenagers in a Nissan Maxima at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Te Mete Rd near Clarke Rd. Mr Gray-Morgan died instantly.
Acting area commander Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross said the special operation was aimed at ensuring public safety and compliance with the law was maintained.
Extra police were involved in monitoring the funeral procession as it travelled through Tauranga to the Pyes Pa crematorium and back again. Mourners gathered at the Filthy Few pad last night for Mr Gray-Morgan's wake.
Mr Glencross was unable to provide details of any arrests and said the operation would continue today. He would not discuss how many officers were involved.
But the Bay of Plenty Times counted at least 20 officers including some road policing staff checking people and their cars as they went in and out of the street.
A booze bus was also stationed at the entry to the street.
An employee at a Koromiko St business said she had never seen a police presence so large.
"The whole road has been blocked off, from the roundabout to Koromiko St and along to Birch Ave. There's about 15 police cars, the booze bus and a paddy wagon.
"I've never seen so many police in one area."
A witness said the police had been set up in the area for more than an hour.
Mr Glencross said: "We are mindful of people's perception but the operation was mounted to ensure public safety is maintained as we want the public to feel safe and also to ensure both locals and our visitors comply with the law and for those who break the law, they need to know they will be dealt with appropriately."
Mr Glencross said some riders were not wearing helmets and police would be issuing infringement notices once those riders were identified.
Down at the pad, hundreds of cars and bikes lined both sides of Birch Ave and surrounding streets.
Patched members were joined by mourners arriving in nice cars and formal attire for Mr Gray-Morgan's wake.
Filthy Few members spoken to outside the pad said the heightened police presence was not unexpected. It was "just par for the course" and did not worry them.
But some factory workers in Koromiko St watching the action said it was "over-kill", especially when people were coming back from a funeral service.
In February, 14 patched Filthy Few members were charged with unlawful assembly after a public stand-off with rival gang the Greasy Dogs.
While investigating the incident, police searched the gang's headquarters and found what appeared to be an illegal bar, prompting a full search under the Sale of Liquor Act 1989.
