Think what you like about gangs, but in the case of Hells Angels, you'll probably be wrong.

They are smart.

50 patched members travelling to South Island were always going to attract some heat, and true to form, the cops set up a checkpoint outside the ferry terminal.

Not one was charged.

No drunk riding, no drugs, all with helmets, and you can bet every bike was road-legal with current warrant and registration.

So why did the police bother with this enormous waste of resources. A stupid comment saying "People drink on the ferry then drive" might even be true, but this was clearly targeted at the Angels and they were never going to be that dumb.

What's happening is a continuation of the policy stated some years ago when the then police chief referred to the cops as "The biggest gang in the country." The statement is correct: they have vastly bigger numbers than any gang and in fact, probably have more members than all the gangs added together.

The trouble with this kind of mind-set is that the police automatically assume they can trample over rights and that their "intelligence" is always right.

We already see signs of this in NZ, and we can even see where it leads in the ultimate expression of police power - the United States.

In the case of the Hellos Angels, their intelligence was equal to the task and they made sure that the nice little piggies in the blue outfits could act all butch and fail.

 

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