Attack on constable brings teen clampdown

Police will boost officer numbers in Tuakau in busy periods in an attempt to crack down on youth violence after a vicious attack on an off-duty policeman.

Search warrants executed at the homes of 10 youths from 6am yesterday resulted in eight teenagers being charged with assaulting Papakura constable John Connolly.

Papakura area commander Inspector Gary Hill said yesterday outside a mobile policing station set up in Tuakau's main street that two 13-year-olds were spoken to over the incident but not charged.

The eight charged were all aged between 14 and 16 and appeared in the Pukekohe Youth Court yesterday afternoon.

Police were looking at laying more serious assault charges such as wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, said Mr Hill.

They were still looking for at least three other teenagers believed to be involved in the attack and expected to charge them.

Mr Connolly had stepped in to break up a fight between two girls outside his house in Elizabeth St on Friday afternoon when he was set upon.

He is in hospital with a fractured skull, broken jaw and several other injuries.

Mr Hill said he visited his colleague yesterday.

"He is recuperating well, he is being well looked after by Middlemore staff. He does have very serious injuries but he is in good spirits ... it's going to be a long road to recovery."

Mr Hill said police would send "public safety teams" of five to six police officers from the Counties Manukau region to Tuakau in busy periods such as weekends.

They would be looking at the "underlying causes" of why the attack occurred and put measures in place "in order to reduce the youth crime that seems to be bubbling away under the surface in Tuakau".

"One of the underlying factors seems to be boredom," Mr Hill said.

Tuakau residents spoken to by the Herald were relieved the youths had been arrested.

Super Liquor Tuakau owner P.J. Goel suspected the teenagers had been in hiding over the weekend as there were fewer of them around the main street where they usually hung out.

He had lost count of the number of times liquor had been stolen by youths from his store.

"There were a lot more police around, we felt a lot more secure. Kids usually walk around half-drunk, I don't know where they get the alcohol from.

"It was the first Saturday in two years that there has been no problems."

Rick Astel, who runs a boxing gym and programmes for troubled youths, said teenagers often congregated at a local park drinking alcohol.