Former Football Fern and Olympian Kristy Hill claims police used heavy-handed tactics against her family when they were called to a dispute in South Auckland this week.
Police were called to an Ōtāhuhu property following what they say were reports of a man pointing a gun at members of the public.
On Tuesday, police armed with assault rifles arrived at 7 Piki Thompson Way, Ōtāhuhu, South Auckland, because of a report alleging a person brandishing a gun. But when they arrived, they were met by Kristy Hill, her husband Tama, their children and Tama’s mother.
Hill says she thinks the landlord called police claiming the whānau had a gun in order to essentially use the police as a private security force to evict her whānau. When she called the police, they told her and her whānau to line up outside with their hands up.
According to property manager Chris Russell from Harper Properties, the mother-in-law was to have been evicted from the property for failing to pay what he said was over $137,000 in unpaid rent. He said he had a High Court order for vacant possession for the owner.
“I’m not sure of the detail with regards to a gun. That is a question for the police,” Russell told teaonews.co.nz
“We have tried to work with the tenants there and give them opportunity to pay but there was no intention to engage. From what can see there is a large number of people residing at the commercial property which is not fit for residential occupation, so they are squatting in a camp-like setting putting their whānau’s health and safety at risk,” Russell said.
In a later text message to Te Ao Māori News he said: “It was one of the security guards who saw the gun.”
“When Tama came out, I said ‘these guys say a gun has been pointed at them’, and Tama didn’t deny it, which made us all very frightened,” he said.
Hill said she felt terrorised by the actions of the police. She said the property manager told her that someone at the residence was pointing a gun at him.
Hill asked what was or wasn’t appropriate. “It’s the circumstances. They [police] treated us like we were the criminals.”
“Everybody was walking their dogs. Great South Rd was packed with people, rubberneckers. People were crashing while they were watching us. So there were no restrictions on anybody else’s movement. The only restrictions were around our particular family.”
“And then the gun lifted and I just freaked because I was thinking ‘you think we’re criminals’, and then Tama just went off. He in his own words, ‘I lost it’, and Tama said, ‘Don’t come here, pointing a gun at my family’.”
According to Counties Manukau police area commander Inspector Ross Ellwood, police responded to a civil matter on Tuesday evening, in which multiple reports of a firearm being presented were made during a dispute.
“As police were preparing to approach the address, a separate report was made to police that a group of people had presented a firearm at another party and made threats.”
“Any incident where a firearm is reported to be presented, or threats are made, is taken extremely seriously.”
“We acknowledge these situations can be unsettling for those involved.”