Source: Radio New Zealand
Police say they did attend and disperse a crowd in Welcome Bay on 1 November after multiple complaints, though not immediately. RNZ / REECE BAKER
Police say a delay in responding to reports of disorder in Tauranga earlier this month was due to being busy elsewhere.
On the evening of Saturday 1 November, police said they received multiple reports of a large group of people on a street in Welcome Bay.
One request came from Tauranga City Council’s noise control team which asked for assistance.
“Our contracted Noise Control officers received three complaints on Saturday, 1 November and attended Victory Street to assess the situation. Due to health and safety concerns arising from the large number of people present, Noise Control requested Police assistance to serve an Excessive Noise Direction,” said the council’s general manager regulatory & community services Sarah Omendsen.
However, she said police did not attend while council staff were still there.
The New Zealand Herald reported the disorder calls as relating to a “massive brawl”.
Police told RNZ they did eventually attend and disperse a crowd, though not immediately.
“Police will prioritise events based on risk, and attendance or non-attendance, will reflect that risk,” a spokesperson said.
“In this case, while we were unable to respond immediately due to another serious disorder incident, we gathered appropriate resources, attended the scene and dispersed the crowd.”
Omendsen said police were the ones who needed to deal with events that got out of control or caused problems for neighbours.
“Residents experiencing public disorder are encouraged to report it directly to police, who are responsible for and best equipped to respond to these types of incidents.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
