Farncombe shop sold alcohol to 15-year old during test purchasing operation

Police sent young volunteers into shops in Waverley

Author: Grace McGachyPublished 28th Jun 2021

Police in Waverley have been sending teenagers into shops to see if they get asked for ID.

Volunteers were sent into 8 shops to try and buy alcohol on Friday (25 June)

One shop in Farncombe sold alcohol to a 15-year-old without challenging them or asking for any identification.

Waverley Licensing Officer Rab Carnie said:

“We work very closely with the licensing trade but when we receive information or concerns from the community that standards at a premises are not being maintained, we will seek to carry out test purchase operations with our colleagues from Waverley Borough Council.

“It is proven that the misuse of alcohol can cause anti-social behaviour in young people and businesses that have a licence to sell alcohol have a responsibility to ensure that the conditions of that licence and the law are upheld.”

The premises will receive assistance from the area’s Police Licensing Enforcement Officer to prevent any further breaches of the Licensing Act.

Waverley’s Borough Commander Inspector Sam Adcock said:

“It is the responsibility of the licence holder to ensure that everyone working for them follows the law.

"This operation was part of our ongoing commitment to prevent alcohol being sold to young people under the age of 18.

"I encourage members of the public to report incidents where they see alcohol being sold to young people under 18 so we can carry out further investigation.”