A police inspector has condemned the latest attack on a young girl in the Rotorua CBD and says police are putting extra resources into high-risk areas.
A 15-year-old girl was assaulted by three other girls she knew outside Rotorua Library on Haupapa Street in the CBD at around 3:35pm.
Inspector Phil Gillbanks said the girl received moderate injuries and required medical treatment.
It comes after a 13-year-old girl was drenched in blood after being bashed by a stranger in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop outside the same library last week.
It was also later revealed that Rotorua Lakes Council had stopped using a security company’s patrol services three weeks before the attack on the 13-year-old.
Rotorua area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika told AM on Tuesday the 15-year-old girl is still receiving treatment and his thoughts go out to her and her family.
He told AM co-host Ryan Bridge the attack is "totally unacceptable" and police are working with the council to make sure the CBD is safe.
"When things like this happen, it really sort of makes us angry about it. We don't want this sort of stuff in the Rotorua CBD so we're working around the clock to address that," he said.
When asked why police couldn't just stand outside the library and at bus stops, Ngawhika said it isn't that simple.
"We have our city guardians that monitor that area around that time and they'll continue to do so. We'll also be putting extra resources in and around that area around that time," he said.
"Taking it further. We are working with the local council and regional council around the make up of the area. This isn't something we're taking lightly at all."
Ngawhika told AM police have deployed a full-time officer to be stationed in the CBD.
"We have committed an officer who is currently full-time in our CBD. He is constantly engaging with our retailers and our partners in the CBD," he said.
"We are working great with our council in terms of utilising their resources with our city guardians and they are constantly giving us eyes and ears in places where our staff aren't at that time and then we are reassessing whether we've got that deployment right as well."
Inspector Gillbanks said police have made good progress with the investigation and are "confident" those involved will be held accountable.
"We have received CCTV footage and are waiting to speak with the victim when she is feeling better," Insp Gillbanks said.
"While we do not believe this a random incident, police are treating it extremely seriously and will have no tolerance for this type of behaviour.
"We know that it is highly concerning for our community in light of the attack last week and we want to assure our community that we are working closely with our partners, including the Rotorua Council and Oranga Tamariki to address these issues.
"We will be increasing our presence in the area and the public can expect to see this continue particularly after school."
The attack on the 13-year-old girl last week sparked widespread outrage. Police Minister Ginny Andersen said such violence was "completely unacceptable" and "horrendous".
"It's the parent's worst nightmare to see something as horrendous as that happen to your child," she told AM last week.
The victim's mother Tashita Morey told AM her daughter's injuries were healing but was "pretty shaken up and full of fear".
"[She] doesn't want to go out into public yet and doesn't want to go to school yet either," Morey told AM last week.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell called for more action from the Government following the attack.
"Increased police visibility, resourcing and responsiveness must be a priority for Rotorua," she said on Thursday.
"We want to reassure the community that public spaces are safe and we will introduce further safety initiatives within the inner city over the next few months."
The two assaults in Rotorua were the latest of multiple bus stop attacks across the country this year.
Last month, a teenager with disabilities was beaten while waiting for her school bus, and another girl in the North Shore was traumatised after being harassed and threatened at the bus stop.
Watch the full interview with Inspector Herby Ngawhika in the video above.
