Bar staff help fake ID clampdown

7:10pm Sunday 7th September 2008

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BAR staff across the Thames Valley are helping to clamp down on fake IDs in a bid to stop underage drinking.

Workers in pubs and off licences across south Bucks have been armed with police approved check lists to help them spot fake IDs.

Thames Valley Police has teamed up with the National Pubwatch Scheme and the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) to hand out 200,000 of the check lists to licensed premises across the Thames Valley.

The credit card-sized lists detail the five checks bar staff can do to make sure a proof of age card is genuine.

These include checking the card to see if it has a PASS hologram and whether the card has been tampered with.

Acting Inspector Russ Murden, from the Wycombe Neighbourhood Policing team, welcomed the introduction of the check lists.

“Everyone stands to benefit from a licensed premises where staff know exactly what they are looking for on an ID card and are confident in challenging people they believe are underage,” he said,

“Reducing underage drinking improves the health and safety of our young people and means neighbourhoods are less likely to suffer from alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.”

Robert Humphreys, PASS chairman, added: “The need to be sure that customers are of age has never been greater, which has created problems for both retailers when selling, and for young people who are trying to buy age-restricted goods.

“PASS is the UK's national guarantee scheme for proof-of-age cards. The scheme provides a common standard, an easily recognisable identity and a robust accreditation process to help protect retailers and their employees, who need to be sure which cards are genuine and which are fake.”