As stated by Inspector Phil Edwards, Taupō Police Area Commander:
Police are deploying additional staff across parts of the Bay of Plenty to monitor movements of gang members who are attending a tangi at Mangakino today (Friday 11 August).
The tangi takes place at 11am in Mangakino and there will be a funeral procession from Mangakino to Taupō crematorium with disruptions to traffic flow expected around 5pm in Taupo.
Police have engaged with gang leaders to communicate our expectations about the behaviour of those attending.
A range of Police staff will be deployed across this area, recording any instances of unlawful behaviour.
Police will be conducting checkpoints today in both Taupō and Mangakino. We will have an increased presence around Taupō and will be assisting with traffic management at some intersections where required.
Our expectations are very clear – we have zero tolerance for poor behaviour.
If participants chose to employ poor driving or general disorderly behaviour, they can expect follow-up enforcement action.
Police encourage the public to report any instances of unlawful activity on the road to us, so we can take appropriate action.
Please contact 111 if it is happening now or report other matters to Police by calling 105 or going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105.
