Three men with gang links have been arrested after officers searching their vehicle found firearms and ammunition, as police invoke new legislation to crack down on gang activity in the Manawatū.
The trio were arrested after a vehicle was stopped and searched in Feilding around 3.20am this morning, Inspector Ross Grantham said.
The Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Act (CAIL) 2023, which came into effect in April, grants police the power to search the vehicles of suspected gang members and their occupants in times of conflict.
The men are due to appear in the Palmerston North District Court on a number of charges.
It comes after a man was killed in a suspected gang-related shooting on Croydon Ave, in Highbury, on Sunday afternoon.
Additional police will be in the area carrying out reassurance patrols as gang tensions continue to grow.
Grantham said while the new police powers "focused specifically on gangs, we intend to use them prudently".
"We are sending a clear message to all gangs and the wider community that Police do not tolerate unlawful behaviour and will work hard to hold people to account."
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