EDITORIAL: Partying teens a risk

Imagine partying teenagers throwing a letterbox through your window. Imagine then, as you rush outside to investigate, a teenager smashes you with a metal pole and fence paling.
Sounds like something out of a movie, right?
Wrong. This happened in Rotorua - and the victim is still off work recovering from his wounds.
This man's story features in today's special report on partying teenagers - prompted by police warnings.
Police say they are being called to an average of three out-of-control parties every weekend and fear this number will rise as the year draws to a close and school holidays get under way.
These parties involve hundreds of uninvited guests terrorising neighbourhoods.
Rotorua's police chief says "good kids" with "good friends and good parents" are falling victim to parties that escalate out of control due to uninvited guests.
Word gets around via text messaging.
Alcohol, predictably, is involved.
The results for unwitting parents can be horrendous: Vomiting on carpets. Sex in bedrooms. Household possessions stolen or damaged. Kids spilling out on the street. Rubbish everywhere. Vandalism to neighbours. Embarrassment.
The solution? Police say don't have parties for teens.
Of course, teenage parties are nothing new.
They've been around for years and many older readers will remember going to them themselves when they were younger.
But today alcohol is more readily available. And text messaging allows word of a party to spread like wildfire. Violence appears worse than it used to be.
It's up to all parents to be sensible and follow police advice. Those going away and leaving their teens at home might want to reconsider.
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