Shattered by police response to bus 'shots'

The repair bill for damage to the bus is expected to be $1000. Picture / Brett Phibbs

A bus operator who rang police after finding the windows of his coach shattered by what appeared to be gunshots was told he could drive the 37-seater to his nearest police station to file a report.

Ron Parker discovered the damage to the coach parked outside his home in Manurewa on Sunday morning.

A call-taker at the police northern communications centre gave Mr Parker a reference number and suggested the two nearest police stations where he could make a report.

A spokeswoman for the centre said the call-taker did advise Mr Parker to make a report at a police station, and suggested he take the coach with him.

The only South Auckland station open to the public during the weekend is Papakura.

Mr Parker thought a shooting incident would warrant police coming to his home to examine the damage and speak to neighbours.

"It's just not on," he said of the police request to drive to a police station.

The communications centre spokeswoman said the response was reasonable in the circumstances.

"Within any call it is taken on the circumstances and situation. He did not know who it was [who had fired the shots] or when it occurred."

Police would have attended if the shooter was still in the area or a suspect was identified, she said.

Police yesterday checked for any 111 calls relating to gunshots in the same area on Saturday night but found nothing.

Mr Parker said he could not find any bullets or other projectiles in the coach.

Neighbours told him they heard the sound of a car back-firing between 10.30pm and 11pm on Saturday and Mr Parker believes that was gun fire.

One shot appeared to have gone straight through the window, leaving a clean hole, and the other struck the side of the window and shattered the glass.

He estimated the cost of repairing the windows at $1000.

He said he thought the police would take more interest in a shooting after finding a gang member with a loaded firearm in a car in Papakura on Saturday night.

Mr Parker said he did not drive to Papakura police station on Sunday because he was busy.

He had to have the windows secured with plastic before a school run yesterday morning.

He then drove to Hamilton to collect a college sports team before making the afternoon school run.

Mr Parker said the incident followed a disappointing police response to a 111 call made last Thursday after a tourist had her handbag stolen from his coach on Mt Eden.

Mr Parker said police told him a car was being sent to the scene but could not give him a time of arrival.

"I had to get the people back to Rydges and asked if police could have the police car meet the Australian tourist at the hotel.

"[The call taker] asked for my phone number, so I gave her my mobile phone number, and she said 'We'll get in touch with you later on'. I've never heard from them. They never interviewed the lady.

"She went back to Melbourne knowing absolutely nothing."

The northern communications centre could not find a record of that call.

Mr Parker said he was "gutted" by the reaction of police in both cases.