Arrests after cops called out to school

Police attend the  incident near Taieri College, in Church St, Mosgiel, yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Police attend the incident near Taieri College, in Church St, Mosgiel, yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Two bandanna-clad men have been charged with disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence after going to Taieri College during school time to confront a pupil, police say.

The men - aged 18 and 22 - verbally abused school staff after being turned away from the school grounds yesterday afternoon, Sergeant Kevin Davidson said.

The pair arrived about 1.30pm and were told by staff to leave, but they returned soon after and became abusive, Sgt Davidson said.

''They have only approached staff at the school and verbally abused them; there's been no abuse at students.''

The pair went to the school to confront a pupil who had been giving a relative a ''hard time'', he said.

It is believed the pair were drinking at a nearby address with a group of teenagers before the incident, but police could not confirm that.

A resident of Church St, opposite the school, said she heard ''yahooing'' outside the school about 2pm.

''I heard swearing and yelling,'' she said.

Three police cars arrived in the street shortly afterwards.

Police were alerted to presence of the ''aggressive'' men about 2pm, Sgt Davidson said.

The pair, accompanied by several teenagers, were located in Anzac Park.

''[The men] had bandannas on their face and were walking down the street, doing the old strut,'' he said.

The others in the group were not involved in the incident but were ''playing for the audience'' when police tried to defuse the situation. Police believed both men were former pupils of the school.

Taieri College principal Dave Hunter played down the situation.

''They walked through [the school] - that was it really,'' he told the Otago Daily Times.

''They weren't pleasant chaps, but no-one felt at risk at any stage.

''The students weren't at [risk of] harm at any stage.''

He spoke to the men and they were ''shooed out of the school very quickly''.

He believed the incident was sparked by ''the amount of alcohol they had consumed''.

Sgt Davidson said the men were charged with disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence.

They were bailed to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday.

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz

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