Undercover police check illegal pub sales

By John Harrington

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Undercover Drinking culture Police

An underage drinker
An underage drinker
Undercover police are checking if bar staff are serving under-18s and drunks in Newton Abbot, Devon. Plain-clothed and uniformed officers patrol the...

Undercover police are checking if bar staff are serving under-18s and drunks in Newton Abbot, Devon.

Plain-clothed and uniformed officers patrol the town centre looking for people who appear to be drunk or under-age.

Followed​If they enter a pub, club or off-licence, the plain-clothed officers follow them in.

One pub and a convenience store, both unnamed, were caught serving under-18s during the first weekend of the operation in mid-August.

£80 on the spot fine​The employees who sold them alcohol were issued with £80 on-the-spot fines.

A 15 year-old boy used fake ID, which was not challenged, to buy cider at the pub.

Advice​Sergeant Adrian Woon said the campaign, dubbed Operation Grimsay, includes advice to hosts on identifying under-18s, drunk people and fake ID.

Woon said information on venues caught out by the campaign would be fed back to the council licensing authority, but he stressed the aim is not to revoke licences.

Maximum impact​Woon added:"I am confident that this operation has heightened licensees' interest in ensuring that underage drinking and the serving of people already drunk does not occur on their premises.

"This operation will continue for the foreseeable future and it will be unannounced in order to have maximum impact.

"Nobody appreciates a fine, but I had nothing but a positive response from DPSs [designated premises supervisors]. They understand why the penalties are there."

Similar campaign​Operation Grimsay mirrors a similar campaign in Hull, in which plain-clothed police targeted venues serving drunks.

Related topics Legislation

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