Police warn parents about drunk teens

Parents are being asked to make sure they know where their teenagers are tonight.

Inspector Clifford Paxton said the biggest concern for Bay of Plenty police this New Year's was the "vulnerability of unsupervised teenagers exposed to the risks of alcohol''.

He said the lead up to New Year celebrations had, so far, been trouble-free.

"At Mount Maunganui for instance, a major annual attraction, the number of incidents over the last few days is considerably down on previous years.''

Mr Paxton said there had been several families enjoying the facilities and there was a "really positive atmosphere''.

He said the majority of people had also been adhering to the liquor bans.

"What concerns us is that a significant proportion of the incidents and liquor ban breaches we are dealing with are involving unsupervised teenagers. It is a real issue that teenagers are so readily getting access to alcohol.''

Mr Paxton said these youths shouldn't be supplied alcohol by parents or anyone.

"We want everyone to have an enjoyable and memorable New Year's Eve but have serious concerns that alcohol will result in poor decisions by some of our youngsters. I urge parents to know where their children are and to help them understand that they don't need alcohol to enjoy themselves,'' he said.

"We just want everyone to look out for their family and friends so that we can all begin 2013 as we mean to go on, safe and healthy.''