Armed police arrive after a suspected shooting in Otara
A spate of shootings which have left three dead in South Auckland this year, along with another in a critical condition after an incident on Friday night, has prompted a call for the number of youth workers to be boosted.
Manukau councillor Alf Filipaina, a former police officer, said the level of violence was among the worst he had seen in 60 years of living in the area.
He wants to see cuts in the number of youth workers reversed.
A decade ago there were six dedicated youth workers in each of Māngere and Ōtara and another three in Manurewa but, Filipaina said, numbers had dwindled due to budget cuts.
A lack of youth workers was raised with Labour MP for Manukau East Jenny Salesa and Mayor Phil Goff at a public meeting last month prompted by the rise in gun violence in South Auckland.
Comment is being sought from Salesa and Goff.
Filipaina wants more youth workers employed to steer kids away from the organised crime groups.
"They were a positive influence on the kids who were at that time being recruited to join the Killer Beez. It was working. They were from the area, they lived in Māngere, they lived in Ōtara."
"Something obviously needs to be done and the sooner the better," he said. "Another shooting. It really concerns me."
Goff said he had recently had a meeting with police district commanders, with "the shootings in South Auckland top of the agenda".
"This is a real concern - We have had an epidemic of shootings this year in parts of South Auckland - much more than would normally be the case," he said.
"It's a real concern that people are sorting out their differences using firearms. Auckland Council will continue to work with Police and the government on this issue."
Goff said more police recruits were set to be deployed within Counties Manukau and that he had "registered my concern" with the Police Commissioner and invited him for a "discussion" next time he was in Auckland to "see what more steps can be taken".
One of the earlier shootings was related to gang tensions between rival groups the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen but Filipaina said other gangs and other issues were also involved.
In the latest incident, a teenager was taken to hospital in a critical condition after a shooting in Ōtara on Friday night, emergency services said.
One neighbour reported seeing a group of teenagers running from the scene on Featherston Cres about 11pm.
One person was treated at the scene and one was taken to Middlemore Hospital.
Footage from the scene showed a black Mercedes wrapped around a telephone pole and a handcuffed man being taken away by armed police.
A resident reportedly gave first aid to the male victim, who they believed had been shot in the legs and torso.
Joseph Siaosi who was killed in a shooting on Piako Street Otara in May. Photo / Supplied
On July 6, a man suffered serious injuries after being shot at a property on Dawson Rd, Clover Park.
On 17 May Joseph Siaosi, 23, was fatally shot by an occupant of a car as he walked away. Siaosi died on the lawn in front of the family home in Piako St, Ōtara.
Tamati Kas Simpson, 21, and Montana Manu, 22, have been charged with his murder.
On April 26, the president of the Killer Beez gang, Josh Masters, was shot at a Harley Davidson store in Mt Wellington. Masters was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in relation to the shooting.
On April 20, Siaosi Tulua, 39, was shot dead at his home on Darnell Cres, in Clover Park.
Early April: A resident in the Palermo Place area of Clover Park had to take cover when a man carrying a firearm walked up the street firing shots.
On March 13, Arthur (Afa) Brown, 26, was fatally shot outside a group of shops on Vine St in Māngere just before 1am. A 20-year-old male has pleaded not guilty to murder.
