It took police nearly an hour to respond to a call that a terrified man fleeing a group of gang members was hiding in a restaurant chiller after telling staff “they’re going to kill me”.

The restaurant’s manager, who did not want to be named, said three gang members chased the man into Nectar on The Strand about 3.30pm on June 1.

She and another manager stopped the pursuers from entering the business and locked the doors. They later found the “terrified” man cowering in the chiller, continuously saying, “They’re going to kill me”.

The incident follows a number of others in Tauranga’s CBD in which businesses say staff have been assaulted by people drunk or on drugs - and Nectar’s owner has described the state of the city as “a joke” and that in her view “police don’t seem to care”.

In response, police acknowledged last week’s incident at Nectar but said they had to prioritise how they used resources. It said in terms of the wider complaint, there had been a general drop in issues in the CBD since the central bus stop was moved. Although people who were under the influence could cause disruption, it was not solely on police to solve this issue.

In last week’s gang incident, the restaurant manager said she phoned 111 and was told to call back later because it was the shift changeover.

Having worked in the health sector, she said she was shocked the call was not prioritised.

Staff phoned the police again because the gang members, who had now been joined by about five other people, remained outside the business waiting for their target to come out, the manager said.

Staff were advised to keep the doors locked and two police officers arrived after nearly an hour and took the frightened man away, she said.

The officers did not approach the men who had chased the man, she said.

The manager said that soon after that incident, police were called to the restaurant again after a homeless woman sat on the couch outside the venue and was “yelling and abusing” customers and staff. Police took the woman away but she returned later.

A number of businesses in Tauranga’s CBD say staff have been assaulted by people drunk or on drugs. Photo / NZME

Nectar owner Jessica Mackenzie, who also owns Crown and Badger, said the state of the city is “a joke” and she believed “police don’t seem to care”.

Antisocial behaviour in the city had increased in the past six to eight months, with staff calling the police five to six times between 8am and midnight some weeks with what they believed were either poor or no responses, she said.

“You call the police over and over ... and they never turn up.”

Mackenzie said staff were often told by police it involved mental health issues so there was not much they could do.

“We’ve got one guy that comes in and he’s visibly wet himself, he’ll steal customers’ drinks, punch our staff members, knocks food off the tables, and nobody ever turns up.”

One staff member had been headbutted by someone off the street and suffered a concussion. He was unable to work and subsequently quit as a result.

Over the summer, a man was showering naked at the toilet cubicle across the road for about 20 minutes.

Staff were left trying to deal with the behaviour despite it not being their job as bar and waitstaff, Mackenzie said.

“They shouldn’t have to be fending for their lives, hiding people that claim they’re about to be murdered in chillers.

“Why do they have to work in this environment?”

She said Tauranga City Council had been told - and she believed it seemed “more concerned” - but there had been no action that she could see.

Mackenzie said she lodged a complaint against the Tauranga police about six weeks ago but the only response to date had been a call from someone in Christchurch who said an officer should have been in contact. She said no one from the Tauranga station had contacted her until Monday, after the Bay of Plenty Times approached police for comment last Friday.

Other businesses in the central business district also raised concerns about police response times and cited examples of staff being assaulted by people under the influence of drugs.

The Barrel Room manager Virgile Meiller said staff had been assaulted in the past, and there was a big problem with high and drunk people in the CBD.

”There’s nothing you can do.”

A bar worker at a different establishment, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said people getting high was the biggest problem, and it had gotten “a lot worse in the last 10 years” and people didn’t want to come into the CBD.

A shop merchant, who also would not be named, said the CBD “can be scary sometimes” and on some occasions the police did not arrive despite the Tauranga station being a few hundred metres away.

Downtown Tauranga chairwoman Ashleigh Gee said the organisation was working on a new initiative in the city centre to help monitor and prevent the issues businesses are having.

It recently launched a platform allowing businesses to fill out incident reports, which are then provided to police and the council and hoped to launch it in the coming weeks.

”We want to have some presence in the city centre, be proactive and try to deter the problems before they start. We need to step in now.”

Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton. Photo / NZME

In response to last week’s incident at Nectar, a police spokesman told the Bay of Plenty Times police were called at 3.25pm to what was initially reported as an attempted burglary, but was later clarified to be a disorder incident.

The spokesman said the business owners were advised to lock their doors and remain inside until a police unit was available to respond. Police arrived at 4.19pm.

“No formal complaint was made by the alleged victim and therefore no further action was required.

“Policing by its very nature requires constant prioritisation of resources to respond to emergency demand, which is unpredictable and has peaks and troughs. Incidents in which lives are in danger or safety is threatened will always be prioritised and police will respond with urgency to ensure the safety of the community,” the spokesman said.

The police spokesman said police acknowledged a complaint had been made about the Tauranga station but could not comment further.

He said police supported the city council and social agencies such as Kāinga Ora to address issues involving homeless and rough sleepers in the city. Police took enforcement action when required, including arrests and issued liquor ban infringement notices.

Police sought to use alternative resolutions and referrals to partner agencies to assist with specialist help.

Western Bay of Plenty police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said Tauranga police operated on a “more street than station” approach, with officers patrolling and “ready to respond”.

This happened particularly in busier periods such as weekend nights, and officers were deployed to areas of expected demand.

He said police noticed a general drop in issues in the CBD following the bus stop moving from Willow St to Durham St.

“We acknowledge that people who are under the influence in Tauranga CBD can cause disruption, however, it is not solely on police to solve this issue.”

Paxton said police worked with local partners to find safe solutions for those who need help and had concerning behaviour.

Police responded to calls on a “priority basis”, with the highest related to an immediate risk to people or property and people needed to call 111 immediately if someone’s behaviour was making them feel unsafe.

Tauranga City Council city development and partnerships general manager Gareth Wallis said it was aware of the incidents and had been speaking to the business owner to offer support.

“We are actively working with the police, Downtown Tauranga and homelessness providers and looking at ways we can help deter this kind of antisocial behaviour and provide wraparound support for those people in our community that are in need.”

Cira Olivier is a social issues and breaking news reporter for NZME Bay of Plenty. She has been a journalist since 2019.