Abstract
We investigated the prevalence and spatial distribution of methamphetamine clandestine laboratories in New Zealand (NZ), between 2004 and 2009 using data obtained from the NZ Police. During this time, there were 1,056 clandestine laboratories seized, of which, 808 (77%) were located at residential settings. SaTScan software was used to identify spatial clusters of clandestine laboratory seizures, controlling for median income, age, area deprivation level, and land-use type in an attempt to identify social factors potentially associated with the occurrence of clandestine laboratory clusters. Unadjusted analyses identified five clusters of methamphetamine laboratory seizures in the Far North (Relative Risk (RR) = 4.09, P = 0.000), West Auckland (RR = 2.0, P = 0.002), Central Auckland (RR = 7.69, P= 0.018), and Hamilton City (RR = 6.00, P < 0.001) territorial authorities. The fully adjusted model, controlling for all socio-economic variables, only accounted for three of the five spatial clusters. The persistence of the remaining clusters indicates that other unknown factors influence the distribution of clandestine laboratories in the North Island of NZ. Identifying territorial authorities with more clandestine laboratories than expected may facilitate community policing and public health interventions.