Dash to make sure kids safe

Alenna McLean with her 2-year-old twins, Brennan and Isabella, who were at the childcare centre. Picture / Otago Daily Times

A mother ran down a railway track and jumped four fences yesterday to reach her twins in a childcare centre cordoned off during an armed offenders squad alert in Port Chalmers.

Police say they had the situation involving a Port Chalmers man with a rifle under control, despite failing to notify the Koputai Early Childhood Centre.

But Alenna McLean, the mother of 2-year-old twins Brennan and Isabella, said she was "appalled and flabbergasted" at the police response to the callout.

"It would appear the childcare centre hadn't been rung to keep the kids inside. I have run down the railway track and jumped four fences to get here ... and I ripped my favourite trousers."

Police arrested a 42-year-old Port Chalmers man last night after the 90-minute stand-off in Albertson Ave.

The man went to his vehicle about 4.30pm after a domestic argument and leaned a .303 rifle on the bonnet of his car.

The rifle never left its case, said Senior Sergeant Dave Miller of the armed offenders squad.

A police officer on top of the hill had the area under surveillance and police would have changed tactics if the man had removed the rifle from the case.

Police initially cordoned off Port Chalmers at Sawyers Bay, 2km away, and then tightened the cordon to the corner of Albertson Ave and George St.

The man went inside his house at least three times during the incident before giving himself up to police peacefully about 6pm.

Mr Miller said he was unaware that the childcare centre, about 250m from the vehicle, was open.

Five children and two adults were inside.

Maps the police worked from showed the buildings, but not their uses.

"If we had known they were there, we would have rung them, but the situation was under control. We always had him in our sights."

Mr Miller said he was happy with the police response.

But Ms McLean said parents had no way of knowing what danger their children were in.

It was only when a concerned parent called the centre, about 5.20, that they found out what was happening.

She said the children were "pretty calm".

Several of the many onlookers criticised the police.

"It's a three-ring monkey circus. One of the first things they [the police] should have done was ... to tell people to get out of the way," said one resident.

A man is due to appear in court today.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES