Youth violence prompts police push
Youth violence in central Lower Hutt has flared up to the point where police will be doing nightly patrols.
The violence has been a focus for the community in recent months, with teenagers being viciously beaten while being filmed at the Bunny St bus stop or in the Queensgate Shopping Centre. The new police operation targets youth disorder and violence by increasing the police presence in central Lower Hutt, beginning on December 1.
Te Awa Kairangi Hutt Valley area commander Inspector Dion
Bennett said the bus stop had been a problem area for years, but there had been a sustained period of violence.
‘‘I suspect there’s a social media culture that is involved in the violence,’’ he said.
‘‘To us it seems gratuitous, for entertainment. It’s pointless but for the fact it is being filmed and uploaded to social media.
‘‘There’s sufficient need for us to get in front of the problem,’’ Bennett said.
The patrols were not a ‘‘knee-jerk reaction’’, but came after meetings with the community about the problem.
Police wanted to make sure Lower Hutt was an ‘‘inviting, family-friendly hub’’ where people did not need to be worried or scared for their safety.
During the patrols, police will be out on foot from early evening onwards and a mobile police base will be set up in the area. The idea was to increase police visibility, ‘‘feelings of safety’’, and engage with people in the area to prevent violence.
The rosters for the patrols would be tailored in response to incidents.
Bennett wanted to send the message: ‘‘We will not tolerate violence, it shouldn’t exist, don’t do it.’’
Earlier this month, the mother of a 15-year-old assaulted at the bus stop spoke about her fears that there would be a death if nothing changed.
In August a 16-year-old was stomped on and scratched with a knife at the same location.
Later in the same week, a 14-year-old boy was assaulted inside the mall and was left with two teeth knocked out and blood streaming down his face.
Even intermediate-age students have been targeted, with one pair of year 8 students fleeing into the nearby Farmers store after being threatened and ‘‘thumped’’.
Back in 2009 the mall installed speakers to play classical music in an attempt to deter young people from congregating near the bus stop.
The bus stop and surrounding area on Bunny St had a ‘‘decent history’’ of similar incidents, Bennett said. ‘‘But the sustained and consistent pattern of behaviour down there now says this is not normal.’’
The real concern for police was youth using serious violence to target people. Police were not sure what was driving it but it was happening all over New Zealand, Bennett said.
Metlink has said the bus stop, which has an old and unsafe design with only one entrance, will be removed within six months.