KEY POINTS:
New Zealand faces a social catastrophe if hard-core drugs like P become popular with young teenagers, a top judge warns.
Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft said young offenders he saw in his court had similar characteristics - they were male, not attending school and were heavily affected by cannabis and alcohol.
But unlike their older counterparts, methamphetamine or P was not such a major factor for them - yet.
"It would be a social catastrophe if P took hold there," Judge Becroft said.
The cost of P kept it away from most young teenagers, and as well, young people were still scared of the drug.
But he was fearful of the effect the drug could have on young people, who were committing more serious violent offences.
"Violent offending is increasing. There has always been severe violence, but it is hard to get an accurate picture. We need to have much better statistics from the Ministry of Justice. We need to know [what is happening] early and the extent it's happening."
Judge Becroft said one thing that was known was that violence, especially severe violence, was escalating.
"It is reflective of an increasingly violent society," he said.
"Everyone is concerned by the apparent increase in severity of the offending."
The tendency towards violence isn't restricted to youth. Judge Becroft said the biggest increase in violence was among men aged over 51. The third-highest increase was among 14- to 16-year-olds.
"By and large New Zealanders are still optimistic about what can be done. There's no silver bullet, no magic cure."
He said it was important to tackle the problems offenders were having before they got lost in the court system.
He compared the process to defusing "human timebombs".
"They don't explode on to the scene from nowhere. They have been known for a long time," Judge Becroft said. "We know who the offenders are."
The rise of youth gangs, particularly in South Auckland, had resulted in the use of much more gratuitous violence than in previous generations.
"It appears to be more severely violent than what we've seen in the past."
Police in any town knew who the five or six hardcore offenders were, the judge said.
The most effective strategy was to go for the toughest and try to influence others who looked up to them.
Despite the P epidemic threatening New Zealand youth, Judge Becroft said he was confident the problems could be overcome.
"I'm absolutely confident of the future. I wouldn't be in this job if I didn't think we would be able to make a difference - but it will be a challenge."
