Licensees to get help to identify fake ID cards

£20,000 to get ID check scheme going

Pubs will be sent "crib cards" to help staff identify genuine proof-of-age ID.

A total of 175,000 cards have been produced after a £20,000 spend by the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) board and Thames Valley Police, in a deal brokered by National Pubwatch.

The money from PASS, which supports the development of PASS-accredited cards, was made possible after a new £50,000 funding package from the Home Office.

The cards, which are currently in development, will include a version of the PASS hologram that staff can check against customers' ID to ensure it is genuine.

They will feature a five-point guide on checking ID, like the Young Scot card used in Scotland.

Around half of the cards will be distributed to pubs, clubs and shops in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The rest will be distributed by the PASS board and National Pubwatch.

National Pubwatch chairman Steve Baker said the aim was to encourage more licensed premises to accept genuine proof-of-age cards.

"Some pubs are worried about fake ID and it's easier to decline all proof-of-age cards and only accept passports and photo driving licences.

"However, that disadvantages the one and a half million people who have taken the trouble to legitimately obtain a genuine proof-of-age card. PASS is a good scheme that can protect licensees if properly used."