Schoolchildren robbed at knifepoint

Four teenagers have been arrested after schoolchildren were robbed and terrorised with a knife at an Auckland train station.

Two Remuera Intermediate students were robbed on Monday while walking through an underpass heading towards the Greenlane Train Station.

The attackers allegedly presented a knife and a screwdriver before stealing the bikes, police say.

Edwin, who asked for his last name not to be published, says his son and two friends were approached by a group while they were walking home from school around 3pm.

One of the young attackers tried to punch his son’s friend before telling the three girls with him to grab the victim’s bike and schoolbag, Edwin says.

The trio managed to escape to a nearby petrol station and contacted their parents.

Edwin says the events seemed well-timed as his son saw the teenagers ride past with the stolen bike and catch the 3.11pm train heading south.

Police were called to the scene and established cordons around the area, a police spokesperson says.

Three girls, aged 13, 15 and 17, and a 13-year-old boy have since been charged with offences including aggravated robbery, behaving threateningly and possession of an offensive weapon.

It’s not the first time Remuera Intermediate students have been robbed in the past months.

In July, four girls were robbed while walking home from school and two other students had their bike stolen.

Police say the incidents were connected with a group of window washers who target the busy Greenlane intersection.

Edwin estimates almost half of the school’s students use the underpass as, due to the motorway on-ramp, there are not many areas parents can wait to collect their children.

‘‘Kids need to be able to get to school without having to travel through an area that has proven to be very dangerous,’’ he says.

He has asked the school to organise a roster of parents to patrol the area on school days or hire their own security guard.