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Regulars at a Lower Hutt bus stop, where a group of 15 teens boarded a bus before a mass brawl erupted onboard, have spoken of the root cause behind the fracas.
“’They come from rough homes so just don’t want to be at home,” said Zane Ross, a regular user of the Lower Hutt Bunny St bus stop where the teens are believed to have boarded the bus on Friday afternoon.
The stretch of bus stops, beside the Queensgate mall, is a known problem area and was where video emerged late in 2022 of a teenager being savagely beaten.
Ross knew some of the teens allegedly involved, who regularly hung around the bus stop. Most of them, aged from 13 to 19, travelled over from Wainuiomata, he said.
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”It is not that they are bad kids – they are just left to their own devices.”
Hutt City needed better facilities, such as a youth centre, to occupy the teens during the days, he said.
Multiple people were injured and six people were taken into custody after an incident on Friday afternoon on Seaview Rd, Lower Hutt on board the number 83 bus.
Inspector Haley Ryan, the acting commander for Hutt Valley, said it was “very distressing for the victims involved in the incident, as well as for our community as a whole”.
Ryan said the “despicable behaviour” would not be tolerated and that they would hold people to account for their actions.
A 19-year-old was held in custody and appeared in Lower Hutt District Court on Saturday. She will reappear in court on January 26. Five others were referred to Youth Services.
Tramways secretary Kevin O’Sullivan said he had seen the statement provided by the driver following the incident.
Fifteen children had boarded the bus in Queensgate, central Lower Hutt, and “started causing trouble, playing music, shouting, and carrying on”, O’Sullivan said.
“By the sound of it, one of the passengers must have taken umbrage … it was a woman.”
“There was an all-in fight,” O’Sullivan said.
It was alleged that a brawl broke out between the teens – most aged 13 or 14 – who are accused of attacking the woman. Other passengers and the driver got involved.
Passengers called police. The bus driver suffered minor injuries in the brawl and was off work, but expected back in the coming days.
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Transport Minister Michael Wood reveals the Government’s preferred Let’s Get Wellington Moving option, which includes both light rail and a second Mt Victoria tunnel. (Video published June 2022).
Another Hutt Valley bus driver, who did not want to be named because of employment concerns, said there had been several “freaky” incidents involving the same group.
“There are lots of very anxious drivers in the Hutt … There’s a high level of stress and fear.”
He was not satisfied that Metlink or the bus companies were doing enough to protect drivers.
The group of youths had been intimidating passengers and drivers on Hutt buses for at least a year and the incident on Friday was a “further escalation”, said the driver.
When the members of the group boarded in pairs or alone they were “meek little lambs” but developed a “swagger” together and started intimidating passengers and drivers, said the driver.
Daran Ponter, chairperson of the Greater Wellington regional council, said in a statement the council was grateful for the police’s swift response.
Metlink was part of a “multi-agency approach” to managing anti-social behaviour in Lower Hutt, he said.
Metlink and NZBus were providing support for the passenger and the driver. Footage from the bus cameras had been handed over to police to help their investigation.
Public Transport Users Association New Zealand national coordinator Jon Reeves said there was need for a dedicated team of roving uniformed and plain-clothed police covering public transport to stop violence, graffiti and anti-social behaviour.
”First world countries like the United Kingdom and Switzerland have dedicated transport police,” he said.
“It is time New Zealand also sets up something similar to this.”
Kevin Mara, who was also a regular of the Bunny St bus stop, echoed calls for activities to keep the teens busy during the days. Removal of the bus shelter had no effect, he said.
“It’s not a bus shelter, it’s the kids,” he said.
“Kids need a productive way to utilise their energy.”
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