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A man has been charged with assaulting a female at a West Auckland train station amid a flurry of reports of “creepy behaviour” on social media.
Police are urging others in the community who have witnessed suspicious activity to call 111 after residents reported people, some disguised in masks, attempting to chase or grab their children before running off.
A 40-year-old man was arrested over the assault that occurred near Sturges Rd Train Station in Henderson before 10am on Monday, with police saying they could not rule out further charges.
“The victim is understandably shaken by what occurred, and we are ensuring there is support available for her,” Waitematā West area prevention manager Inspector Kelly Farrant said.
It included a Massey mum who said a man was scared off their property after he reached through a ranch slider door and tried to grab the arm of her 10-year-old daughter at the weekend.
Police said they were aware of a report of suspicious activity in Massey regarding a curtain over an open door being disturbed before 5am Sunday.
“Our staff cleared the property and nearby Triangle Park, but a person was not located.”
After seeing posts about “dangerous and creepy behaviour”, another person said her daughter and two friends, aged 10 and 11, were chased through Pooks Reserve in Rānui by three masked men with toy guns two weeks ago.
The chase, through Pooks Rd and its surrounding park, saw the youngsters followed by the group of masked men in a Toyota Funcargo, with a female driving the vehicle.
Police said they were looking into an incident on January 18 near Pooks Reserve involving water guns.
Another Rānui resident said their son alerted them to someone in a black mask through trees at the back of their Hetherington Rd property.
He said the person ran towards the exit of their driveway, and noted a car had driven down their road just before the sighting.
Farrant said police were aware of social media posts regarding suspicious behaviour in West Auckland in recent weeks, and appreciated they would be “concerning” for the community.
“While a lot of information is rightly shared on community Facebook pages, we would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of firstly reporting any suspicious activity to Police directly.”
