Identity crisis?

By Gurjit Degun

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Pass card Identity document

PASS card: learn how to spot a fake
PASS card: learn how to spot a fake
The Proof of Age Standards Scheme was hailed by the trade when it was introduced, but many hosts are still baffled by what forms of ID are acceptable and genuine customers are being turned away. Gurjit Degun reports

If a group of 16 to 18-year-olds walk into your pub, it can be hard to tell how old some of them are. So you ask all of them for some identification, but they produce a number of different cards. How do you know which ones are real customers, and who could be under-age? Would you risk your premises licence over it?

And what about your doorstaff? Are you confident that they know what a fake ID card looks like? The odds are that a lot of licensees won’t be able to answer those questions with much confidence.

When the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) card launched in 2003, there was a lot of hype around it. The team behind it had already been in consultation for three years, and the scheme was heavily backed by the Government.
It was seen as the licensed trade taking responsibility, and a real turning point for the industry.

PASS cards aimed to drive out forgery, guarantee standards across proof-of-age cards and provide a recognisable national symbol to help the licensee. That national symbol, the PASS hologram, was trademarked in 2005 — another key moment.
PASS chairman Robert Humphreys explains the importance of the cards: “The world has become much more concerned and conscious about these things and the penalties have become increasingly challenging for the trade.

“If it wasn’t desirable when we started the project, it’s twice as necessary now that there is a system that is utterly reliable and people can easily recognise a genuine card, which the hologram indicates.”

PASS also has the backing of major trade associations including the British Beer & Pub Association, the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping), the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, and Drinkaware.

And it is endorsed by the Home Office, Association of Chief Police Officers, the Security Industry Authority and the Trading Standards Institute. So with such backing, why is it that so many licensees are still rejecting genuine trade?

Pockets of resistance

A survey conducted by PASS towards the end of last year found that pubs are missing out on a massive 1.5 million customers because licensees are “confused” as to what are acceptable forms of identification.

It found 47% of card holders have had their card refused, and 97% of refusals “occur in the on-trade”.

There are also many myths surrounding the cards. Many licensees and doorstaff think they’re easy to buy online, that PASS doesn’t check who it’s issuing the card to, and it’s better to ask for passports and driving licences.

In fact, PASS checks out the person buying it, much like the authorities do when approving passports.

So, when purchasing a card, a responsible adult in a professional job must approve the image and the application form. And because of this rigorous process, 25% of applications are rejected.

Humphreys understands that people have to be vigilant, but turning away a genuine customer, he believes, “is acting stupidly”.

“If you reject a PASS card holder on the grounds that it may be forged, you’re making a big mistake.

“You’re upsetting a genuine customer who is not only law-abiding but has gone to the trouble of equipping him or herself with the card.

“Not only are you turning away good business at a time when everything’s difficult and you desperately need every customer you can get, you’re going to piss them off for life.

“Those people aren’t going to come back to you if you suddenly wake up and realise there’s a problem and resolve it. You’ve lost them.”

So it is down to you to, as the licensee, to make sure your staff know what’s what — and that includes your doorstaff.

According to Humphreys, more than 90% of the problems PASS sees reported are down to doorstaff turning people away when they’ve got a genuine card.

“The fact is, if you’re running a bar or a pub, and choose to use doorstaff, it helps to remember that they are helping present the face of your business outside, when you’re going to endless lengths inside to make people feel welcome,” he explains.

“But before they even get to that point, they’re having to go through this tunnel of disaster.”

Act now

Training is essential to making sure you are not turning away legitimate business. Your staff need to know the difference between a fake and a genuine identification card.

And rejecting a PASS card could be the downfall of the business you need in today’s economy because one third of 18 and 19-year-olds do not have either a passport or driving licence, so a PASS card may be their only form of ID.

Humphreys adds: “The fact is the Home Office minister has clearly said, ‘If you accept a genuinely PASS-hologrammed card, that is due diligence.’

That’s all you need to know. If any reasonable person would believe that it’s a genuine hologram embedded in the card, then that’s what you need to do.

“And that’s it. Then you have done what society has asked you to do.”

How to recognise a PASS-accredited card

  • The PASS hologram: Check for the 3D effect in the background, make sure the logo is flush with the plastic, it must not be stuck on.
  • Check the photograph: If necessary, ask the person politely to remove their hat, hood or sunglasses. The photograph must not be stuck on.
  • Date of birth: Is the person old enough to enter the premises? This must be printed onto the plastic, not stuck on or handwritten.
  • The card: Feel the card, it should be completely smooth, with no ridges or anything stuck onto the surface of the card.
  • Check the person: If you are still unsure about the person’s age, your legal responsibility is to refuse to sell.
  • The www.pass-scheme.org.uk​ website has more information on what types of PASS card there are and how to spot a fake.

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