111 response 'ridiculous'

Pamela Percivalle says it seems she didn't sound frightened enough. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A woman who woke to banging on her front door and bedroom window called 111 for help - but police refused to come out to her because she seemed "calm".

Instead, a 111 call-taker told Pamela Percivalle to call back if anything else happened.

Ms Percivalle had gone to sleep about 11pm on Friday night when she woke to people banging loudly on her window about 12.30am.

"They were so intense, they were so loud," she said.

"They were yelling and saying: 'Is this Shane's house?' and laughing. I knew they were pretending. I said: 'No. Please go'."

The 30-year-old, from Argentina, has been living at the Walters Rd home behind Eden Park for five years with her partner, who was away when the incident happened.

She said at least two men were outside, as one was banging on her bedroom window while the other banged on her front door.

She said shouting at them to leave only made things worse.

"They knew I was alone."

She dialled 111 for help. "I was crying, I was panicking, I was alone in my house. But I was trying to stay calm."

She told the call-taker someone was trying to break in. "They asked if they were still here and I said I didn't know - I wasn't going to go outside and find out.

"I thought they'd send a policeman to check but they said: 'Okay. If you hear anything else just call back'. I'm alone in my house and they won't send someone? It's ridiculous."

Inspector Matt Rogers, of the police northern communications, said he had listened to the tape and noted that Ms Percivalle's voice was relatively calm.

He said that would have been a factor in the call-taker's decision not to send an officer to check.

"Maybe it would have been best to send a car out.

"She did seem very calm and collected, but there was a point where her voice wavered a bit and maybe it should have rung alarm bells and that she was alone."

He said police would be looking at opportunities to review their protocols after the incident.

Ms Percivalle said when she woke the next day, she found five units around her house had been burgled or damaged.

Laptops, bicycles and computer equipment were among things stolen. Other homes had windows smashed.

Mr Rogers said there had been only one burglary in the street, which happened on Friday night, that had been reported to police.

Burglars have been targeting houses near Eden Park, with residents saying construction activity at the stadium is helping criminals not to arouse suspicion.