Auckland alcohol-licenced premises' fail 'basic requirements' as operation finds 31% sell to minors

July 24, 2019
Scotland will introduce the measure today, which makes it illegal to sell alcohol below certain price points, to help combat problem drinking.

More than 30 per cent of on-license premises which sell alcohol in Auckland failed in selling to minors during Controlled Purchase Operations carried out in the past five months.

The damning results come after a joint Controlled Purchase Operation (CPO) in east Auckland between Auckland Council's Alcohol Licensing Unit, police from Tāmaki Makaurau and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

The inability to calculate a minor’s correct age and having poor vision are some of the reasons given by people that sold alcohol to minors in Auckland.

"One seller said she should have worn her glasses and another said that she couldn't work out their age," Auckland Council’s Alcohol Licensing Team Leader Anita Marsh said.

A CPO is conducted at licensed premises to test compliance, with laws against selling alcohol to minors, under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

A total of 39 checks for alcohol sales to minors have been made at licensed premises during CPOs across Auckland in the last five months – with 12 breaches of the Act.

The minors wore everyday clothing, carried their own ID and were not made to look older than they are. The 15 to 17-year-olds involved in the operations are accompanied by council workers and police.

"It is a privilege, not a right, that licensees and duty managers are granted the ability to sell alcohol," Auckland Police Alcohol Harm Prevention Unit Senior Sergeant Lisa Woodward said. "And we expect them, and their staff, to take their responsibilities seriously.

"Asking for ID and then calculating the correct age from that identification are basic requirements for anyone selling alcohol."

The council will now refer the matters to the Alcohol Regulatory Licensing Authority (ARLA) where penalties can include temporary closures.

Senior Sergeant Woodward says there are "serious consequences for selling to minors".

Penalties for first time failures are generally between two and seven days suspension of the licence, depending on the type of premises and managers should expect a 28-day suspension of their manager’s certificate.

If repeated twice or more within a three-year timeframe the licence or certificate will be in jeopardy.

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