Operation Tauwhiro will be carried out across all 12 police districts over the next six months.

A nationwide operation to disrupt and prevent firearms-related violence by criminal gangs and organised crime groups has been announced by New Zealand Police.
Operation Tauwhiro will be carried out across all 12 police districts over the next six months and is the first operation aligned to the new Organised Crime Strategy.
A key element of this strategy was to address organised crime, its social drivers and the harm it caused.
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Gang membership and offending has increased during the past few years, particularly in regions like Hawkes Bay.
At least 900 people joined a gang in 2020, an increase of 13 per cent on the year before, according to police figures.
In Hawkes Bay alone, the birthplace of the Mongrel Mob, police recorded a 58 per cent increase in recorded gang membership during 2019.
Inspector Dean Clifford said the operation would give Hawke’s Bay police a chance to disrupt violent offenders as well as preventing crime and victimisation.
There have been incidents of violence involving firearms in Eastern District and our staff have been working relentlessly to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible to account, Clifford said.
The operation is hoped to disrupt and prevent firearms-related violence by criminal gangs and organised crime groups. (File photo)
As part of the operation we will also look for opportunities where appropriate to focus on social service interventions targeting offending gangs and or gang members, identifying underlying risk factors and implementing appropriate interventions.
Clifford said the objective of Operation Tauwhiro was to reduce the prevalence of violence by gangs and organised crime, particularly that involving the use of firearms.
Police commissioner Andrew Coster said groups that committed violence using firearms could expect to be the focus of significant police enforcement attention.
A key focus of the operation would be investigating and disrupting the illegal supply of firearms to gangs and organised crime groups, which was enabling fire arms violence.
Inspector Dean Clifford said the operation would give Hawke’s Bay police a chance to disrupt violent offenders as well as preventing crime and victimisation.
Coster said each police district would run its own tailored initiative and would work closely with iwi and community groups.
The decision was welcomed by New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill said.
We are also aware of a change in attitude when it comes to using firearms. Not so long ago, guns were prized possessions of gangs and were pretty much for intimidation and threat purposes.
Chris Cahill, Police Association president is supportive of Operation Tauwhiro.
Cahill said there had been a discernible shift to people being prepared to use illegal firearms against each other.
“The association has been keeping note of the number of times stories involving firearms make it into our everyday media, and over the last year or so that has been at least once, and often more, a day,” Cahill said.
This is extremely unnerving for communities throughout Aotearoa, and, coupled with the incidents involving shootings and firearms presentation that never make the headlines, but the association is aware of, the full picture is disturbing.”