A call made by two "terrified" teenagers who ran from an Auckland gang home took police more than an hour to attend because the call was logged as a vehicle offence.
The "slow" police response alarmed members of the Haverstock Rd, Sandringham, neighbourhood support system, one of whom
called police three times.
In at least one of those calls he expressed fears for the girls' safety because of apparent gang-related activity in the street by the King Cobras.
But Inspector Willie Taylor of the police Northern Communication Centre said the 111 call was correctly recorded as an unlawfully taken vehicle - a priority two incident and therefore non-urgent - because the girls could not provide police with the number plate of their stolen car or where it was.
"The young women have subsequently assured police that at no time were they under threat and they were fully clothed at all times during the incident," he said.
That is disputed by at least one neighbour and a taxi driver who eventually took the girls from the scene. The taxi driver, who did not want to be named, said he was on his way home from work when he stopped for the girls about 6.30am on Sunday.
"They were very scared and I asked if they were all right and they said 'someone's stolen our car and we called police but they didn't arrive'," the man said. One of the girls was "distressed" and wearing only a towel.
"They were looking very scared and just said: 'Some gangsters took our car'." he said. "She said: 'They even stole my clothes' [and] 'my dad's going to kill me'."
The man drove the girls to the alleged gang home where they asked for their car and were told it had been taken to a supermarket in New Lynn. He took the girls to Papatoetoe and did not charge them for the fare.
It is believed police have recovered the car and the matter has been resolved.
Mr Taylor said that during the 6.24am call from a male resident police were told the incident could be more serious and that the two young women might be at risk.
"A judgment was made by the call taker that the incident still remained at the same priority. This assessment has been borne out by the reality of what actually occurred."
