Kids running wild isn't new problem: Horne

Inspector Bruce Horne.

More police staff in Rotorua's CBD are helping deal with the problem of unruly teens, according to the local area commander.

Inspector Bruce Horne said police had been concerned for some time about the behaviour of teens throughout the city.

"We are concerned about the lack of supervision for these young people, in some cases we are picking up children as young as 8 in the CBD late at night. We are working with these families. There are some challenges around that - we have increased staff in the CBD and that tactic seems to be working."

He said the April school holidays were normally pretty good but they still needed the extra staff.

"Unfortunately school holidays produce young people with time and opportunity to commit crime and get themselves into trouble."

Mr Horne said it was nothing police hadn't dealt with before.

"This isn't a new issue, in 1884 the Otago Daily Times published an article: 'There are a number of children running about the streets of Dunedin without the control of parents. If the Government does not take them in hand they will become members of a criminal class.' That's interesting because it highlights a lot of problems with our youth today and it's an article from 1884."

He said every young person is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

"We have to ask what's going on in these children's lives that's resulting in this ... "