An Otahuhu resident says she does not blame Auckland police for taking a day to respond to calls about an abandoned car, which was later found to contain a homemade bomb.
Police evacuated about 30 people from the street at about 5.30pm on Wednesday before the explosive device was removed.
Police were called to inspect the car after residents reported it had been at Seaside park, at the end of Princess Street East, since Saturday.
Kalli Murray told Morning Report she called the police about the abandoned car on Tuesday morning.
She said they would not have been concerned because the car was not stolen.
The vehicle has been towed for forensic examinations. Police say the device looked homemade.
Police response
Police are defending the speed of their response. Detective Senior Sergeant Pete Jones says they checked the car, but found no reason to investigate further.
A subsequent tip from the public led them to return for another look.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jones says they evacuated residents as a precaution, but the device turned out to be so small it would not have caused an explosion.
Police are still trying to identify the car's owner.
