Police defend response to school fight

Onehunga High School principal Chris Saunders said staff made five 111 calls. File picture / Martin Sykes

Police have defended their response to a group of thugs who attacked staff and students at Onehunga High School.

Principal Chris Saunders, who was injured in the attack, has criticised the amount of time it took officers to arrive. He said his staff made five 111 calls before help arrived.

But police said this morning that patrol cars were on the scene and dealing with the incident within minutes of receiving the calls.

Inspector Karen Wilson, acting centre manager at the Northern Communications Centre, said a patrol unit was dispatched within a minute of receiving the first call and was in the area within seven minutes. A second unit arrived less than a minute later.

She said: "A police unit was already on the way to the scene while the caller was still on the phone and the caller was informed that police were on the way.

"It was clearly a very frightening situation for the principal and teachers. In such circumstances time can take on a surreal quality and events seem to take a lot longer than they actually do.

"But I wish to dispel any misconceptions that the 111 calls were not treated with urgency and that there was a delay in dispatching police units."

A copy of the audio and a transcript of the calls was posted on the police website (see link below).

A group of up to 15 intruders armed with wood and a hammer refused to leave the school when confronted by staff about 2pm on Monday.

They started hitting and punching anyone who got in their way, including Mr Saunders, a maths teacher and a senior student.

Mr Saunders was hit by a piece of 4x2 and cut on his earlobe. A teacher reportedly had teeth knocked out.

"It was incredibly intimidating," Mr Saunders told 3 News last night.

"There was no way they were going to negotiate, there was no way they could be spoken to."

Senior Sergeant Donovan Clarke said last night that two patrol cars and a dog unit were sent to the school.

"By the time our units got there everyone had left," he said.

Police took statements from staff and were now hunting those responsible.

- HERALD ONLINE STAFF