Counter proposals
Retailers are in the frontline when it comes to dealing with some awkward aspects of community responsibility - in particular the issue of age-restricted products and ensuring they're kept out of the wrong hands.
Whether it is the person operating the checkout of a busy supermarket or an assistant working alone in a corner shop, they can find be put in some highly pressured positions.
The £20m that the industry spends every year on preventing sales to underage people of alcohol, tobacco, spray paint, knives, fireworks and other age-restricted products, is of little consolation when an individual makes a mistake and finds themselves breaking the law.
The effects of a prosecution can be traumatic for the individual; who see those who attempt to buy the goods apparently getting away unpunished.
At the same time the businesses feel that they are seen as part of the problem rather than part of the solution and their efforts to avoid sales are unrecognised when they are often not informed about their refusals to sell to test purchasers.
These concerns led us to bring business together as one voice on this subject for the first time, as part of our drive to improve accountability and create the right conditions for prosperity and protection.
The Age-Restricted Products Review Group, chaired by Geoff Budd, represented more than 250,000 retail outlets from small shops to major businesses through trade associations and professional bodies. It has now published its report Better Regulation of Age-restricted Products: A Retail View which makes 12 recommendations.
The Group wants to see the law simplified and made more effective, with the current 18 separate pieces of legislation unified and a binding code of practice to improve the effectiveness of test purchasing. And they want LBRO's Primary Authority scheme extended to cover all age-restricted products.
Members would like to see wider adoption of partnerships between local regulators and trade associations, and closer working on the wider underage sales agenda with local businesses and shared responsibility for underage sales amongst business, young people and adults who buy on their behalf.
Retailers recognise the harm that misuse of these products does to health and community well being. They want to stop underage sales but find the regulations place disproportionate burdens on their businesses. In short, they want to be seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem.
The full report can be viewed at www.lbro.org.uk/publications-external-research.html
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