Witney News - West Oxfordshire Underage Test Purchasing

West Oxfordshire Underage Test Purchasing

An operation to combat illegal underage sales of alcohol through test purchasing will be taking place in West Oxfordshire. Nearly 400 licensees have been advised about this so that they have the opportunity to review their processes to prevent young people purchasing alcohol.

Bill Oddy, Head of Community Safety and Licensing at West Oxfordshire District Council, said, "Licensees in West Oxfordshire have considerable experience and we don't believe there is a significant problem. We
are more than happy to advise and support licensees who want to review their procedure and we are encouraging them to contact the Council's Licensing Team."

The underage test purchasing is a joint operation between the Council and Thames Valley Police.

Inspector Andy Higgs, who has responsibility for Neighbourhoods and Licensing in West Oxfordshire, said "We have now implemented Neighbourhood Management (Policing) across the district and one of the emerging priorities for the public is 'Young people and alcohol'. A number of neighbourhood police teams
have been tackling this issue; seizing alcohol and using anti social behaviour powers (ASBOs) with the most persistent offenders. In addition Oxfordshire Trading Standards have carried out a number of underage test purchasing operations in premises with a licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises. This is beginning to make an impact but we still need to do more."