Northland DHB and NZ Police staff who conducted a Controlled Purchase Operation at off-licensed premises in the Whangarei area were pleased with the result.
During the operation, in which two volunteers aged 16 years old attempted to purchase alcohol from off-licensed premises in the Whangarei area, only one out of 17 outlets sold to the under-age would-be customers.
Sergeant Howard CLEMENT, Whangarei Police alcohol harm reduction officer, said although the results were encouraging one sale to an under-age would-be customer is one too many. All premises should have systems in place to prevent a sale of alcohol to minors.
The DHB and Police had been running joint Controlled Purchase Operations in Northland for five years, giving premises an opportunity to test their procedures and tighten up their systems where necessary.
Controlled Purchase Operations (CPOs) are part of an ongoing programme to assess compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, in an effort to address access to alcohol by minors.
Wendy Antrobus, Northland DHB's Public Health Unit technical officer said: "All licencees and their staff must remain vigilant, remembering that at all times if any person looks under the age of 25 and does not have an ID, it means no sale.
"This latest operation has shown that by far the majority of off-licensed premises in Whangarei adhered to their responsibilities regarding sales of alcohol to minors, but it would be great to get 100% compliance for the region," said Mrs Antrobus.
NDHB and NZ Police will continue with ongoing monitoring of licensed premises.
Operation Statistics
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For further information, please contact:
Fleur King, Public Relations Manager
Northland District Health Board
Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315