ACS welcomes police powers to confiscate booze from under-18s

Friday, 29 January 2010

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed new police powers coming into effect today to confiscate alcohol from under-18s and to disperse under-age drinkers from an area where they are drinking or behaving anti-socially.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: "The long-term solutions to tackling alcohol-related disorder must focus on the individuals who choose to attempt to buy alcohol when under 18.

"These measures allow the police to take effective action against under-age people themselves, and retailers will welcome this approach.

"It is now up to the police to use these powers, and we think they should use the Community Alcohol Partnership model that was launched successfully in Cambridgeshire and is now rolling out into other areas.

"We are proud to help fund and support this programme because by working with retailers, schools and community groups, alcohol-related problems can be addressed properly."

The ACS has also commented on the revised "two strikes" system where retailers selling alcohol to an under-age person twice in three months would automatically see their licence reviewed or a closure notice issued.

Lowman said: "Under licensing law, retailers can already have their licence reviewed - and ultimately lose their licence - for one indiscretion, so talk of two or three strike policies can be misleading.

"However, the tightening of the law on closure notices should remind retailers to sharpen up their procedures to stop under age sales.

"ACS has been working closely with the Home Office on these changes, and we are pressing for guidance to enforcement agencies stating that retailers should be informed of their first transgression before further test purchasing is carried out."

ACS has chosen today to launch a set of in-store materials to help members to do exactly this and to train themselves and their staff to handle incidents where customers become aggressive when refusing a sale of alcohol, or tobacco.

The materials have been developed with ACS' licensing advisors Licensing Solutions; and the pack sent to all full ACS members this week includes:

• A specially-written booklet on handling confrontation with customers

• Challenge 25 posters

• A PASS training card to help retailers to identify genuine proof of age

Lowman said: "Preventing under-age sales has to be at the top of retailers' agenda, and we are providing practical help for them to stop children buying alcohol in convenience stores.

"Too often refusals of sales to young people lead to abuse and intimidation of staff, and we are grateful to Licensing Solutions for producing excellent guidance to help retailers to handle these situations."

Source: ACS

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Will Mournian said:

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40 year olds like to relax with a beer, 30 year olds like to relax with a beer, 20 year olds like to relax with a beer, 17, 16 and 15 year olds like to relax with a beer. Someone of any age can get aggressive when under the influence. This means a 40 year old, or someone under-18. Why should people of any age who are just enjoying themselves with some friends, not doing anyone else any harm, be targeted by the police? It will only further aggravate social tensions and cause resentment towards the police from younger people; not a good result.