Police urged to act on fake ID
10 July, 2008
Home Office reveals half of youngsters find it easy to buy restricted goods
A pubco boss has urged police to take more action against youngsters using fake ID to try and get into pubs.
Staff at Kai’s Bar in Louth, Lincolnshire, recently seized a fake driving licence and student card and handed it to the police.
The move came in the same week that the Home Office released a report about young people’s views on proof of age cards.
Michael Kheng, director of Kurnia Intertrade Limited, which runs Kai’s Bar and five others in the area, is keen to see youngsters prosecuted for such offences.
He said: “We could only spot these were fake by putting them under a UV light.
“I have sent them to the police but they do nothing to help us they are just happy to do test purchasing in pubs.”
Kheng also warned other licensees about the detail of the fake driving licence – the only visible difference from the genuine document is that it says International Driving Permit rather than Driving Licence.
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers told The Publican there is no policy guidelines on how to deal with the issue and that it was down to individual police forces.
Inspector Paul Stubbs, head of licensing for Lincolnshire West Division, said: “The matter can be deal in a number of ways including arrest without warrant, the discretion of the officer at the scene or by fixed penalty notice.”
However he added many licensees dealt with the matter without getting the police involved.
The Home Office research revealed that 52 per cent of under 18s think it is easy to buy ‘age-restricted goods.”
Of those quizzed only 32 per cent said they had PASS branded ID but the majority of young people and parents alike were keen to see a standard ID card introduced.
In the survey 28 per cent of young people said they were most frequently asked for ID in a pub, 32 per cent said the supermarket.
Readers' comments
We confiscated some ID cards of some young people because they did not know simple details such as their middle names or date of births etc. When I mentioned this in our Pub Watch scheme I was told by the police that I was committing the offence because I did not have the power to confiscate the ID and should hand it back to them. This I find ridiculous as the ID obviously does not belong to them and they are just going to use the ID at a different venue.
The Police CAN do something the fact is that the won't. See http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/crime-disorder/index.html/212291/ List of offences with a penalty of £80 for 16 year olds and over (£40 for 10-15 year olds): Buys or attempts to buy alcohol for consumption on relevant premises by a person aged under 18, S149(4), Licensing Act 2003 List of Offences with a penalty of £50 for 16 year olds and over (£30 for 10-15 year olds): Buying or attempting to buy alcohol by a person aged under 18, S149(1), Licensing Act 2003
I have also suspected a fake ID from a local person who was refused several occasions prior. I reported it to the police who said they could do nothing!