Locals move in on mob headquarters

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Thu, 12 May 2011 6:33p.m.

Police say trouble's died down since then

Police say trouble's died down since then

The gates are open but nobody's home, after Invercargill's Mongrel Mob headquarters was torched last night and locals have been quick to re-claim their neighbourhood.

Landlord Louis Crimp's been fighting to evict the mob for years, but like the house, is gutted.

“Well I'm devastated because it's such a waste, I mean we could have probably converted it into something to live in,” he says.

“I offered a thousand dollars to anybody who might have some bright ideas about what we could do with the place ‘cause I'm a dottery old man who can't think of bright ideas at the moment,” says Mr Crimp.

When he heard the mob had vacated he took the local newspaper on a tour and invited locals to strip it.

The neighbourhood is well-known to police, two years ago the house next door was also set alight days after four Mongrel Mob members were arrested for torching the headquarters of rival gang The Road Knights.

Police say trouble's died down since then.

‘There are certainly Mongrel members that are still in Invercargill, but as for having a headquarters we certainly don't know of any that are in Invercargill,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Cowe.

And locals say good riddance. Police won't say if they're speaking to mob members about the fire but want anyone who saw it to come forward.

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Comments

12 May 2011 11:55p.m.

Richie wrote:

Nothing these scumbags own is theirs!, be great if the whole of newzealand gutted all gang HQ

12 May 2011 08:45p.m.

JK wrote:

I like how the media refers to these low lifes liek they are some sort of legal organization etc. Just confiscate everything they own as it is easy to prove is blood money anyways. BTW ban those damn patches all over the country. These low lifes need to get to work and contribute like the rest of us.

12 May 2011 08:05p.m.

Bex wrote:

I would like to suggest that you contact the local schools etc and get them to turn it into a community market garden. Then everyone can benefit from something that has been treated so badly (including you).