Latest Controlled Purchase Operation brings disappointing result

Northland DHB and NZ Police staff who conducted a Controlled Purchase Operation at licensed premises in the Kaipara area were disappointed with the result.

During the operation, in which volunteers aged 16 and 17 attempted to purchase alcohol from licensed premises in Dargaville and the surrounding areas, three out of 14 outlets were prepared to sell to the under-age would-be customers.

Of the 14 licensed premises, six were off-licenses and eight had licenses to serve alcohol for consumption on the premises. One off-license and two on-licensed premises were prepared to sell to under-age drinkers during the latest operation.

Constable Wendy McDermott of Dargaville Police said the result was disappointing as the premises involved should have had better systems in place regarding the sale of alcohol to minors. The DHB and Police had been running joint Controlled Purchase Operations in Northland for more than two 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, in an effort to address access to alcohol by minors.

Wendy Antrobus, Technical Officer for Northland DHB's Public Health Unit said: "All licensees and their staff must remember, 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 further improvement is still required for licensed premises in the Kaipara, and ongoing monitoring will continue."

She said it was important that at this time of year, every effort was made to reduce access to alcohol by under-age youths. She urged all Northland licensees to take their responsibilities seriously, particularly over the holiday season when traditionally there is an increase in the number of young people becoming victims of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related harm.





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For further information, please contact:

Clare Blackburn, Communications Manager

Northland District Health Board

Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315