Thursday, 10 March 2005 - 4:01pm |
National News

Police question Christchurch Star 111 claims

3 min read

Police this afternoon questioned reported comments in the Christchurch Star relating to a 111 call made by two 14 year-olds in the early hours of Saturday
5 March 2005.

Inspector Kieren Kortegast, Manager, Police Southern Communications Centre, says the newspaper’s report of the two young women fearing a sex attack following drug and alcohol use is the first Police have heard of these allegations.

"Following two discussions with the girl who called 111 and two calls to the mother, I can confirm Police organised a taxi to be sent to pick up the girls - following agreement from the mother of one of the girls," says Mr. Kortegast.

"At no point during our some 20 minutes of discussions with the girls and the mother was there any suggestion of concerns about a sexual attack nor indeed any suggestion of drug or alcohol use.

"Staff were careful to ask appropriate questions designed to assess the level of risk to the girls."

"Had these matters been brought to police attention at any stage of the telephone conversations then our response would have taken an entirely different tack.

"Contact was maintained with the girls until the taxi arrived and drove them safely home."

Events unfolded as follows:

The call to Police was received by the Southern Communications Centre shortly after 4am on Saturday 5 March and related to an address in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui.

The girl outlined she was cold and did not want to return to the address that she and her friend had been visiting and subsequently locked out of. The girl stated she needed a ride to her nearby home, would not call her mother for a ride because she would be "grumpy" and had no money for a bus.

A police dispatcher tried to contact the girl’s mother but the call went to an answer phone. A short time later another dispatcher attempted to call the mother and was able to reach her.

The mother was asked if she were able to collect her daughter and advised she had no vehicle with which to pick her up. She also told the dispatcher her daughter had run away from home two days earlier.

The mother was asked if she could organise for a taxi to pick up her daughter which she agreed to, but in turn asked for police to organise this as she felt the taxi company would respond more positively to a Police request.

During this time, the girl rang the Communications Centre back. She was kept on the line by the dispatcher for approximately 15 minutes until the taxi arrived. The mother was also updated by phone with the fact a taxi was on its way to the girls.

Inspector Kortegast says police regularly facilitate transport home for young people either by patrol car or taxi. In this case the mother agreed to a taxi as she could not pick up her daughter.

"The fact that at no time were we appraised of the fear of a sexual attack or the involvement of drugs and alcohol, leads us to conclude that the conversation on these matters occurred between the mother and the girls after police were involved.

"Preliminary examination of the tapes support the actions taken by the Communications Centre staff and precautions were taken to ensure the girls’ safety," says Inspector Kortegast.

ENDS

Tapes of the calls between the Southern Communications Centre - the girl and the mother will be available later today upon individual OIA request. For privacy reasons, names and addresses have all been removed from the tapes.

Contact: Maggie Leask, Communications Manager, Canterbury Police District DDI [03] 363 -7815)
10 March 2005