College backs police action after gatecrashers wreck talent quest

Lynfield College staff are supporting the actions of police who were forced to disperse hundreds of students following a fight after a talent quest.

Three hundred students, friends and family gathered at the school on Thursday night to watch 100 students perform.

While they were inside, board of trustees chairman Brian Cadzow said, a group of uninvited teenagers arrived at the school.

The teens, who were not connected to Lynfield College, were understood to have been looking for a person who was inside the hall.

When security guards prevented them from entering they started causing trouble - allegedly damaging cars and school property.

The police were called about the time the talent quest finished, 9pm.

As people started pouring out of the hall the group of outsiders tried to get to the person they'd come to see. Punches were thrown but Mr Cadzow said no one was injured and security guards intervened.

Mr Cadzow said the number of people - around 400 - combined with the presence of up to 20 police, police dogs and a police helicopter overhead did cause some panic but there was no riot as some people had said.

Some people left of their own accord but others stayed in the grounds and police decided to disperse the crowd by forming a line and marching them out.

Some students have complained about being pushed or having to leave their cars which had been broken into, but Mr Cadzow said the college was happy with how things were handled.

"It's fair to say some students thought the police were a bit aggressive and rude but the view of senior staff who were there was that they did a good job," he said.

"The school supports the actions the police took."

Mr Cadzow said the incident raised issues about safety at night events, but the college had three security guards at the talent quest and was not selling tickets at the door.