Police 'brushed aside' knife attack

The mother of a 12-year-old girl attacked by a knife-wielding 9-year-old in a Dunedin park two weeks ago is dismayed that police have brushed the incident aside.

Anne-Marie King's daughter Simone Pearce was held up at knife-point on February 25 but she was not contacted by police officers until Tuesday night - 11 days after the attack. The case was not referred to the Youth Aid section until Wednesday.

Her daughter had told her that the boy, who was known to Simone and the friend she was with, pulled a knife from a bush, held it to Simone's throat and asked her if she wanted to die.

Two passers-by intervened, called the police and took the girls to the friend's house in nearby Shetland St.

Two police officers interviewed the girls, the friend's parents and the witnesses at the time, but had not called Ms King until this week.

She had left "numerous" telephone messages for someone to call her but had been "repeatedly" referred to the officers involved, who were working a night shift, Ms King said.

The officer who rang her this week "couldn't apologise enough" but she was still disappointed she had not been contacted earlier.

"All I expected was a courtesy call and to know what was happening with the boy, but they never even rang me.

"I know the police are busy and he's just a 9-year-old kid but when he's a 15 or 16-year-old he's not just going to threaten, he's going to go ahead with it."

Dunedin area police controller Don Boyd said Youth Aid were urgently following up the case after issues were raised with them by Ms King and the Otago Daily Times.

He would be following up the time delay with the staff involved but was "very satisfied with the options under consideration at the moment".

Mr Davidson said the main focus would be on rehabilitating the offender.

After speaking with both families he was confident that, with the co-operation of his family, there was "every chance" of the young boy's rehabilitation.

He was not aware of any violence in the boy's history.

Ms King said Simone appeared to be happy enough after the attack, but she had not yet discussed the incident with anyone.

She was happy with the police response, but still believed it should have been much earlier.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES