An arrest has been made after a 12-year-old girl was beaten on the steps outside a McDonald's restaurant in Glenfield on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Supplied
An arrest has been made after a 12-year-old girl was beaten on the steps outside a McDonald's restaurant in Glenfield on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Supplied
Parents are calling for beefed-up security outside a McDonald’s restaurant on the North Shore, saying a recent violent attack on a 12-year-old girl was not the first near the Auckland site.
More parents have come forward alleging their children have been assaulted and threatened near the same North Shore McDonald’srestaurant.
Just four months ago two 14-year girls were pushed to the ground and beaten after visiting the Glenfield fast food restaurant, parents said.
The pair of girls said they were “being eyed up for their shoes and phones” when inside the restaurant and then followed outside by a group and beaten in February.
“I was really upset and angry to hear of the latest attack, it is beyond a joke,” the mother of one of the girls said.
“My daughter and her friend went into McDonald’s to get a frozen coke and to wait for their bus and they were getting eyed up by a group of girls in there.
“They then followed them outside McDonald’s, demanded their shoes and phones, and when they refused to give them up they proceeded to get the girls on the ground and bash them.”
The mother said the girls eventually managed to escape before calling their parents for help. The girls were treated at a nearby emergency clinic for their injuries.
“My daughter came home black and blue, Her face was pummelled and her friend’s face was even worse,” the mum said.
A girl was attacked on the steps outside the fast food restaurant after being confronted inside when eating a meal. Photo / Supplied
Three girls and two boys were involved in the attack with one girl kicking and punching as the others surrounded the girls so they couldn’t get away.
Police confirmed they were investigating the incident where a group of youths had assaulted two young females on February 26, 2023.
Police had offered support to the victims involved.
Another parent said the Glenfield branch was a popular hang-out for teens “there to cause trouble.
“They are not there to eat, they are there to cause trouble and threaten people,” the parent said.
“They send messages on TikTok and Snapchat arranging fights in the toilets there. It’s at the point now people are too scared to go in there.”
There were also allegations of teens vaping and swearing at children in the play area and another parent said her nine-year-old was assaulted.
McDonald’s spokesman Simon Kenny said the franchise owner of the Glenfield McDonald’s was in regular contact with local schools and police to “try and help manage antisocial behaviour from young people in the area.
“Senior restaurant management are present during peak times, and in the lobby addressing any issues and moving people on once they’ve finished their meals.”
Kenny said some customers had been given trespass orders.
“This is often managed in conjunction with schools,” he said.
McDonald’s restaurants nationwide were fitted with CCTV and footage was provided to police to assist with investigations, he said.
“Some restaurants employ external security for certain periods of the week, and we continue to assess at local and national level what more we can do.”
Kenny said McDonald’s, like many retail businesses, was seeing societal issues play out in its restaurants.
“The safety of customers and staff is a priority, and restaurants constantly look at what is going on in the local communities in which they operate,” he said.
