Proof-of-age card could stop passport losses

The new PASS proof-of-age cards will now display the NPCC’s logo alongside that of the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

PASS is currently supported by six major trade bodies: Association of British Bookmakers, Association of Convenience Stores, British Beer & Pub Association, British Institute of Innkeeping, the Wine & Spirits Trade Association and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

ALMR chief executive and PASS interim chairman Kate Nicholls welcomed the new design. She said: “The NPCC logo on the cards sends an important message that the police, alongside the Home Office and trading standards, recognise the card as valid ID. 

“Mandatory licensing conditions make it clear that only approved physical photo ID can be accepted at the door or at the bar, and licensees and door staff should accept PASS cards as valid ID."

Following a Home Office campaign urging young people not to use passports as proof of age, Rachel Kearton, Assistant Chief Constable of Suffolk Police and the NPCC lead for alcohol and licensing, is urging customers to use the new PASS cards instead.

Kearton commented: “Enforcing the law on underage sales is a major policing priority. Lost passports cause a major problem not only for the owner but for the police should they fall into the hands of criminals.

“It makes no sense for young people to take these valuable documents into town for a night out. I would like to see PASS used more frequently in the night-time economy.”

Government statistics from 2011 showed that 10,000 passports had been lost in bars and clubs that year alone.