Alcohol access concern

DUNEDIN police are investigating further allegations of sober drivers peddling alcohol to underage teens, as it emerges more parents have come forward with concerns.

A 21yearold Dunedin man has been charged with supplying 13yearold and 14yearold girls with alcohol after meeting the pair through a Dunedin

Facebook page.

Dunedin alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Ian Paulin yesterday confirmed police had received further complaints about teens sourcing liquor from social media sober drivers.

The 21yearold was charged on Monday and faces a maximum $2000 fine after allegedly buying a 12pack of RTDs from a

Concord bottle store for the girls, in April.

Sgt Paulin said a further complaint was made to Dunedin police yesterday relating to another sober driver buying alcohol for a group of 14yearold girls last weekend.

Dunedin police last month revealed a group of teenage girls was found heavily intoxicated in central Dunedin earlier this year.

The mother of one of those girls said yesterday the problem was out of control.

‘‘All the young ones from Dunedin are getting the alcohol from these sober drivers,’’ the woman, who did not wish to be identified, said.

‘‘It’s a known thing, but we can’t do anything about it — we can’t stop it.’’

Parents needed to be wary about what their children were involved in, she said.

‘‘They are 14yearold girls getting in the car with strangers — the danger is there. You don’t know whether that’s safe; it could be anybody picking them up.

‘‘You don’t want to believe it is happening, but it is and it’s getting particularly bad in Dunedin.’’

She had concerns young girls could be taken advantage of financially and, potentially, sexually.

‘‘It didn’t happen on this occasion, but do I think it’s happening? Yes,’’ she said.

Details of the incident were passed on to police, but due to a lack of evidence, the matter was unresolved.

The charging of the 21yearold man earlier this week marked a breakthrough in the police’s pursuit of the issue, Sgt Paulin said.

‘‘This is the first time all these ducks have been lined up. Hopefully, this may raise concerns and more people will come forward.’’

Police said the two girls sneaked out of home and went to a party after consuming the alcohol.

‘‘[The 21yearold] picked up a 13yearold and a 14yearold . . . took them to a nearby bottle store and purchased a pack of RTDs for them,’’ he said.

While it was the first time those teens had sourced alcohol this way, ‘‘it is happening regularly’’, Sgt Paulin said.

‘‘Apparently, it was very common knowledge among their peers, so they thought they would give it a go. They consumed the alcohol and got into some strife later on.’’

The teens were taking a big risk by getting into cars with strangers.

‘‘The big concern is you get these 13 and 14yearolds getting in these boyracer cars and you don’t know what they are going to drive like,’’ he said.

‘‘They are placing themselves in a really vulnerable situation.’’

The incident was a wakeup call for the girls’ families and Sgt Paulin had spoken to both teenagers.

He warned other parents to be vigilant about their children’s social media use and drinking behaviour.

‘‘Be wary of what kids are doing on Facebook and have a wee look at who they are having interactions with, and be aware they will probably have two sets of Facebook [accounts],’’ he said.