ANDREA VANCE
stuff.co.nz
New Zealand - Motorcycle gangs are attempting to infiltrate
police by joining up, union boss Greg O'Connor says.
And he is warning a budget freeze on the force will mean fewer gang members
are weeded out at the recruitment stage.
O'Connor opened the Police Association's annual conference this morning with the stark warning.
"Police, particularly over the last four or five years, have been finding that when they do their checks of those seeking to join police that they have quite close links often to organised crime, particularly the gangs. We are talking dozens of people...attempting to join police," he later told reporters.
He added: "We hope we've screened them all."
He said the Headhunters gang had increased their numbers from 25 to around 92 "and growing."
"They are growing. They have moved into Upper Hutt. The Hells Angels have moved into Nelson. These are national crime franchises while we are inevitably retrenched," he said.
Attempting to infiltrate police was "absolutely" a deliberate strategy, and members kept dossiers on officers.
"Under a funding freeze every part of police is under pressure and that includes recruiting. Recruiting is being centralised to one or two pods and in the districts there won't be the scrutiny," he said.
O'Connor said no increase in the budget meant police must find $200m in the next two years and, potentially, $400m in the following two years.
O'Connor opened the Police Association's annual conference this morning with the stark warning.
"Police, particularly over the last four or five years, have been finding that when they do their checks of those seeking to join police that they have quite close links often to organised crime, particularly the gangs. We are talking dozens of people...attempting to join police," he later told reporters.
He added: "We hope we've screened them all."
He said the Headhunters gang had increased their numbers from 25 to around 92 "and growing."
"They are growing. They have moved into Upper Hutt. The Hells Angels have moved into Nelson. These are national crime franchises while we are inevitably retrenched," he said.
Attempting to infiltrate police was "absolutely" a deliberate strategy, and members kept dossiers on officers.
"Under a funding freeze every part of police is under pressure and that includes recruiting. Recruiting is being centralised to one or two pods and in the districts there won't be the scrutiny," he said.
O'Connor said no increase in the budget meant police must find $200m in the next two years and, potentially, $400m in the following two years.
