Review of Licensed Premises

21 April 2010

No responsible retailer sets out to sell to underage customers, yet it still happens and the responsibility falls to the feet of the Designated Premises Supervisor. To ensure that you meet your obligation as a Designated Premises Supervisor, your defence of due diligence  is to take all reasonable precautions to avoid committing an offence under the Licensing Act 2003, which could result in the revocation of your Premises Licence. 

As a designated premises supervisor, how effective are your current policies and procedures?

Due Dilligence Checklist  

1. Premises have adopted the challenge 21 policy to ensure that all staff will insist on the appropriate ID if they believe that a purchaser may be 21 or under.

• Notices/posters are clearly displayed in store near to the till/bar to emphasise to customers that they will be challenged if they look 21 or under. Similar posters relating to the sale of age restricted products are clearly displayed near the products themselves.

• All employees have undergone induction training in relation to the sale of age restricted products immediately on commencing employment and a written record and details are kept of such training.

• All staff will undertake refresher training in relation to the sale of age restricted products immediately on commencing employment and a written record and details are kept of such training.

• All staff will undertake refresher training in relation to age restricted products at least once every 6 months.

• Such training includes information on the acceptable forms of ID and in particular the ‘validate’ proof of age card, promoted within your licensing authority.

• A refusals log is retained and staffs have been trained to complete entries every time a sale is refused. The refusals are examined and analysed at regular intervals so that any potential concerns can be addressed immediately.

• A written policy has been prepared in relation to the sale of restricted products and a copy provided to all staff. Arrangements have been made for the policy to be reviewed annually and where relevant updated to reflect changes in the law and/or guidance issued by relevant bodies.

• The Epos till system has in use a till prompt automatically generated to alert staff that an alcohol product has been scanned and that staff need to acknowledge this before such a sale can continue.

1. All documentation referred to the above is kept at the premises and will be made available on request to appropriate police officers