Two teenage girls were injured after an attack on an Auckland bus on Monday night.
In a social media post, a parent urged others to look after their children on public transport after their daughter and her friend were attacked while catching a bus from Takapuna to Albany on the city's North Shore.
The parent, who made the post anonymously, said a group of six boarded the bus and sat behind the two 15-year-olds, with one group member attacking them as they pulled into Albany station.
They said the group, one of whom was reportedly wearing a balaclava, appeared agitated and discussed raiding shops as well as "stepping people out".
One of the girls was left with a broken nose while the other was bruised.
The parent said they would be making a formal complaint to Auckland Transport, and that police arrested the group shortly after the attack.
They said some onlookers helped, including providing an ice pack to the victims.
They pleaded for others to prepare their children for what do to if confronted with the same situation.
Waitematā East police area commander Inspector Mike Rickards confirmed the six young people allegedly involved were found at a nearby shopping centre and taken into custody.
"Concerningly, a knife was located on the 14-year-old male and was confiscated," Rickards said.
While inquiries were continuing into the assault, the behaviour was unacceptable, he said.
Officers were aware of community concern that some groups of young people were carrying out some "intimidatory or violent behaviour" around bus stations. Charges had been laid in some instances.
Officers were patrolling bus stations along the Northern Express route to provide some reassurance for commuters and Auckland Transport staff.
'Incredibly disturbing'
Auckland Transport's general manager of public transport operations, Rachel Cara, said they were saddened to hear of the incident, and that they were working closely with police.
"Aucklanders want and deserve a safe transport network where everyone is safe no matter how they move around, particularly children and the vulnerable," she said.
"Our staff have reached out to police today to ensure increased patrols and presence at the station."
Cara said they welcomed any recommendations for safety improvements and worked to implement these where possible, not only at Albany Station, but across other bus facilities.
"This isolated incident is incredibly disturbing, but it is important to remember that last week Aucklanders took around 1.6 million public transport trips, with the vast majority having a safe, comfortable journey."
AT provided a list of safety features currently in place across facilities, including extensive CCTV coverage, good sight lines, and lighting.
It said that through the Auckland Transport Operations Centre and the surveillance team, locations like Albany Station were monitored to detect known offenders moving through the network, and could mobilise security patrols in response to any issues, or escalate to police.
RNZ
