Kids left alone on Bay beaches

Some parents are putting their children's lives at risk by leaving them unattended on Bay beaches and using surf lifesavers as de facto nannies.
The Bay's top surf lifesaving official, Nigel Cox, believes the problem happens every weekend and is getting worse. In one case last weekend five unsupervised children aged 7-14 were plucked from the surf after being dragged out to sea in a rip.
Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club lifeguard Jason Carswell said: "We assisted four of them to the beach and rescued another other with the IRB (inflatable rescue boat). These kids we pulled out didn't have any parental supervision."
He said the group may not have found themselves out of their depth if they had been under the watchful eye of a parent or guardian. Unsupervised children put an extra strain on lifeguards.
"It's our responsibility to make sure they swim in the right areas, not babysit them."
Mr Carswell, who has been a lifeguard at Omanu Beach for eight years, said the issue was getting worse each year. Mr Cox, who is Bay of Plenty Surf Lifesavers Association chief executive, said unsupervised children on the beaches were becoming a greater problem.
"Obviously we would like to have parents watching over their kids so if they do get into trouble they can alert lifesavers," he said.
"If surf lifesavers have to babysit as well as do their job then it makes it more difficult.
"When you know you've got some young kids at the beach without obvious supervision, then the lifesavers tend to keep an eye on them a bit more."
Mr Cox said the sea could be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous environment for unsupervised children.
Nick Anderson, club coach at Papamoa Beach Surf Life Saving Club, was not aware of the problem existing on Papamoa beach. It is his first summer patrolling in the Bay.
"I think down that end of town the mentality is quite good. I've been on patrol a couple of times and haven't seen much," he said.
Other times parents were on the beach but not near their children.
That was the more common scenario at the Mount beach, said Ryan Scholes, Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club director of lifeguarding.
Parents who leave their children unattended on a beach can be deemed to be breaking the law if the children are under 14. It is an offence if a parent or guardian leaves a child under 14 without adequate supervision for a time that is unreasonable or in conditions that are unreasonable. Tauranga Detective Sergeant Eddie Lyttle said any prosecution for leaving children alone at the beach would take into account the circumstances and be on a case by case basis. However, if a parent or guardian was found to have left a child unsupervised, he or she was liable for a fine of up to $2000. Children aged 14 and over can look after younger children.
Additional reporting Rachel Tiffen