Cars smashed, residents shaken as teens wreak havoc after Mt Albert party

The youths reportedly were attending a party at the Mt Albert Senior Citizens Hall. Photo / GoogleMaps

More than 20 police converged on a suburban Auckland street last night after youths leaving a party marauded through the suburb, vandalising cars and property.

The Herald understands the youths were attending a party at the Mt Albert Senior Citizens Hall on New North Rd prior to the rampage.

Local politicians are demanding answers about why the council-owned hall was hired out for such an event.

After they left the venue, some youths smashed car windows and wing mirrors, entered properties and damaged other vehicles and left residents annoyed and shaken.

Some took to Facebook to share their experiences.

"Dramas on Kitenui last night," said one woman.

"Not sure of circumstances but a large group of young people being marched up the road by 20+ police and cars.

"As they were going past they smashed car windows and a couple of wing mirrors... if you were out last night and your car was damaged that is why."

Another woman said the fracas started at the hall and "got out of hand".

"They ran up my driveway and jumped on my car too, I was just leaving for late shift at work," a resident wrote.

"There were at least 10 police following."

Another resident was walking home when she saw the police "in formation" yelling instructions at the youths.

"Pretty unnerving," she wrote on Facebook.

The booking system for the hall is managed centrally by Auckland Council. Albert-Eden Local Board deputy chairwoman Glenda Fryer posted on Facebook that she had requested a full report on why it was booked out for a young person's party.

"The Mt Albert hall is a Council 'Hall for hire' done centrally by Council. They are normally not rented out for teenage parties for these very reasons," she said.

Board chairman Peter Haynes said until the board received the report it was hard to know what had gone wrong.

The group would have had to apply for a liquor license and would have indicated why they were hiring the hall, he said.

"I think what may have happened is it wasn't quite made clear that it was a 21st," he said.

"It was not something that should have happened in terms of our policies - and if our policies allow teenage parties then we have to revisit that.

"There are a number of restrictions and conditions [on hiring] - what we really need to know is what happened in this case and whether or not people are complying with the conditons put on the event."

Police confirmed they were called to New North Rd at 10.45pm after reports of around 50 people fighting inside a hall.

There were up to 300 people at an event in the hall.

"There were various incidents of disorder that broke out, and police worked to shut down the party," said a police spokeswoman.

She said there were no major injuries and at least six people were arrested.

Haynes believed the party was held in one of the smaller side buildings, which could fit around 50 people.

"It may be that word spread on social media and 300 people turned up, and most of them were outside. Once word gets around you get gate crashers and they cause trouble. That's why we need to have a closer look at what our policies are."