Police to have guns in light of shootings

WELLINGTON: After a spate of shootings, police in Counties Manukau will routinely carry firearms until further notice.

Three shootings rocked Otara in less than 10 minutes on Friday evening.

And one resident said the outburst of violence was due to the Americanisation of local culture.

‘‘It’s a driveby culture now. And it’s normally by people from out of the ’hood,’’ he said.

He said misguided youth had adopted a brash, arrogant culture parroted from the United States.

‘‘That’s the escalation of violence that has been going on the last few days. That’s the feeling of the people in the street,’’ he said.

The Otara resident, who lives near where one Bairds Rd shooting happened, was not enthusiastic about police being routinely armed.

‘‘We know right throughout the world when police start carrying guns around, people get a little bit angsty,’’ he said.

After the three shootings on Friday, police were alerted to a shooting in Prestons Rd in the South Auckland suburb at about 2.25pm on Saturday.

Then a firearm was discharged at a Bairds Rd property at about 10.05pm on Saturday.

Superintendent Jill Rogers, the Counties Manukau District Commander, said extra police from across greater Auckland would be deployed to the southern suburbs.

‘‘Counties Manukau staff have temporary carriage of firearms in place as a precaution, which is being regularly reviewed,’’ she said.

‘‘We know the recent firearms incidents in South Auckland this weekend have caused concern and worry in the community.’’

Nobody was injured but police urged members of the public to come forward. — The New Zealand Herald