A 10 year-old boy was one of nine young people apprehended in Auckland's Myers Park over the weekend after two separate violent incidents.
On Friday night, five young people allegedly assaulted a staff member and stole alcohol from a bottle store on Karangahape Rd before hiding out in nearby Myers Park. However, their hideout was not the haven they assumed it to be, thanks to recent upgrades to lighting and CCTV cameras in the park.
Police, who have access to footage from those and hundreds of other cameras across the city and road networks, tracked four of the five children, who ranged in age from 12 to 17, via monitors in the District Command Centre (DCC) and staff were deployed to apprehend them in relation to the earlier bottle store robbery.
The Auckland Council's reinvestment in the CCTV and lighting network paid off again on Saturday night/Sunday morning when, at about 1.30am, staff in the DCC observed a group of people hiding behind a large rock near one of the park's pathways.
Auckland City Police Prevention Manager Inspector Gary Davey says the keen eyes of a staff member in the DCC anticipated no good would come of the activities of those in the footage.
"What we see then beggars belief in terms of viciousness and the age of those involved. One man is seen to be confronted by some from the group but his size and stature appear to have deterred his would-be assailants.
"Following that, a couple is then confronted and brutally attacked by six people. Had it not been for the quality and accuracy of the footage, it's unlikely those we believe to be responsible would have been identified or located.
"However, staff on the street were simultaneously deployed to the unfolding attack and five of those allegedly involved - including a 10 year-old and two 13 year-olds - were apprehended by our staff. One person, believed to be a young man in his mid teens, managed to escape.
"The fact such young people were out and about on city streets and parks when they should have been in their respective homes, is alarming from a childrens care and protection perspective. The fact they allegedly participated in such violent offences is even more alarming."
A 17 year-old woman was arrested in relation to the Friday night incident while her three associates, aged 15, 13 and 12, have been referred to Youth Aid.
A 16 year-old girl was arrested and will appear in the Youth Court charged with three counts of assault with intent to rob in relation to Saturday night's alleged attack while her associates have been referred to Youth Aid.
ends
Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager