BEDA questions on-the-spot fines
The rise in on-the-spot fines for serving underage drinkers
is just a quick fix, says Bar Entertainment & Dance Association chief executive Jon Collins.
Collins believes believes that the £80 fixed penalty notices introduced in 2004 are unsustainable.
He also believes the Government would be better off ploughing resources in to supporting the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) and Challenge-21. The PASS scheme accredits valid ID cards with a hologram.
The warning from Collins comes as new stats revealed in Parliament show that 818 fines were issued to staff in pubs or off-licences serving underage drinkers between January and September 2005. Just 40 fines were issued to under-18s for buying alcohol.
Lancashire police topped the fines list for staff with 102 followed by Essex (85) and Greater Manchester (63). Merseyside fined the most under-18s (7).
"There is a genuine concern that staff just accept the fine without realising the broader implications of serving underage drinkers," said Collins.
"If staff at a venue persistently serve underage drinkers the premises licence could be reviewed. I am not sure some police fully understand the implications either. It is an unsustainable option - a sharp shock and a quick fix that works well for Government statistics."
The Home Office wants the industry to cut underage test purchase failures to almost zero by the year end and to create an expectation that everyone will be asked for ID. Over the Christmas blitz, 29% of pubs tested served underage drinkers.
However, Collins feels the Government would be better off spending its money in support of PASS rather than the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (AMEC), which cost £2.5m over Christmas.
