An all-in brawl involving 40 schoolgirls in south Auckland which was captured on camera and posted online has sparked a warning from police they will track the combatants down.
Officers had to break up the melee on Browns Rd, Manurewa about lunch time on Thursday.
"It is lucky that no one, including the police officers who attended the incident, was seriously injured," said Inspector Julia Lynch.
"This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated and police will make every effort to speak with the teenagers involved, and with their parents or caregivers."
One girl had already been identified and referred to Youth Aid.
Insp Lynch said police were working with Manurewa High school to identify the others and "cannot rule out further consequences".
Police were seeing more and more from a small percentage of young people, some as young as 10, who showed no remorse for their actions, such as stealing cars, ram raids, aggravated robberies and organised fights, she said on Friday.
Many offences were being organised via via social media, she said.
"This kind of behaviour is a community problem. It is an issue for parents, caregivers and schools, everyone has a part in this."
She warned parents and caregivers to take more responsibility for their children and "make sure you know what they are doing, and who they are spending their time with".
"We know it is not always easy, but there are a number of agencies you can turn to if you need assistance with young people including, Salvation Army, Youthline, Iosis, the Soloman Group or Strive."
