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A group of West Coast schoolgirls have set up what police describe as "horrible" websites to attack one another.
Constable Rose Green of Greymouth said a girl and her father complained to police on Monday after a website was set up using her name as an address and saying nasty things about her.
Ms Green said after looking at the matter, police found there were several websites using girls' names.
Ms Green said the girls involved were about 17 years old, all from the same school, and it appeared "boy trouble" might be behind the attacks.
"Someone may have kissed her boyfriend or something like that -- the old jealous thing," she said.
Ms Green added: "When the constable looked into it, apparently it was tit for tat -- a few of them were doing it against each other."
She said the websites were saying "horrible" things. "Not really probably slanderous but enough for a teenager to be offended by."
Ms Green said it was the first case of website bullying she had heard of on the West Coast.
"Texting is rife and this is one step further. Crikey -- it used to be on the toilet wall. It's gone to texting and now the websites. It's ridiculous. It's got out of hand."
The websites come as the Ministry of Social Development tries to shut down a blog site "naming and shaming" Child Youth and Family social workers the bloggers say have bullied and intimidated families.
Other sites have been set up to critique teachers and bosses.
Police told those involved to sort it out amongst themselves and would not be taking any further action unless there were further complaints, Ms Green said.
"They were sent away with a flea in their ear -- 'you've done it too'."
- NZPA
