Disappointing Results Of A C.P.O.

A Controlled Purchase Operation that was run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights last in the wider Auckland City Area. Results indicated that there are still improvements needed to be made in some areas.

This operation covered the entire Auckland City Area, including the Auckland City CBD, City Eastern and Western suburbs. Information had been received from assorted locations as to some of the premises that supply liquor without the required checks.

Alcohol features in more than half of all Police business from minor to major crimes and crashes. Research shows about two thirds of minors get alcohol through older family members. Others receive direct access to alcohol through premises with slack processes. Only Parents and Legal Guardians can provide a minor with alcohol, others face prosecution.

A total of 59 premises were visited, with 13 making sales to the minors aged 16 / 17 years. These were made up of 37 off licensed premises (5 sales) and 22 on licensed (8 sales). The Auckland Eastern and Western Suburbs were visited on Thursday and Saturday nights and resulted in 41 premises being visited, with 7 sales being made.

On Friday night 18 CBD premises were visited, with 6 sales being made. The results for the CBD are appalling, considering the amount of time premises are warned to ensure they seek identification by a number of agencies. This is the first such major operation in the CBD, and more will follow.

The outer suburbs gave a better result, but there is still room for improvement. These results are disappointing considering all the advertising and training that is available and directed at premise staff and Managers.

Bars and Taverns had security at the door, but at times these were not requesting identification of the minors entering premises. The responsibility of the operation of the premises lies with the Duty Manager and Licensee, and they need to ensure there processes are foolproof. In the identified premises, they clearly are not.

Recent changes to the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, make a Duty Manager responsible for the compliance with and enforcement of the provisions of the Act; the conditions of the licence in force in respect of the premises; and the conduct of the premises with the aim of contributing to the reduction of liquor abuse.

Duty Managers, and Licensees, need to ensure that this is happening because any breach puts their livelihood, and the license of the premise, at serious risk.

The above detected breaches will be presented to the Liquor Licensing Authority, with a request for suspensions of the License and Managers Certificates involved.

This result basically ensures that testing of Bars, Taverns and Off-Licensed premises will continue in the future.

ENDS

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