Age-restricted products and services - reminder
2016
News in the press of ‘kitchen knives, razor blades and an axe illegally sold to teenagers in a test purchase operation across West Yorkshire’ recently is a reminder that not just alcohol and tobacco are age restricted and that test purchasing can cover a far wider spectrum of potential sales or activities.
In the West Yorkshire operation it is being reported that out of 69 stores put to the test by the undercover teenagers, nearly a third (20) failed after selling a knife or other bladed instrument to someone under age.
Age restricted products or activities include:
- Aerosol spray paint
- Air weapons and imitation firearms
- Alcohol – of course!
- Butane lighter refills
- Crossbows
- Fireworks
- Gambling
- National lottery
- Petrol
- Pets
- Sale of knives and articles with a blade or point
- Scrap metal purchasing from persons under the age of 16
- Solvents
- Sunbeds
- Tattooing
- Tobacco products.
A reminder too that there is a Code of best practice when undertaking test purchase operations – ‘Age Restricted Products and Services: A Code of Practice for Regulatory Delivery’. The Code sets out a way of working rooted in the statutory principles of good regulation: that regulation should be proportionate, consistent, accountable, transparent and targeted. This Code sets out a process that follows the steps that an enforcing authority will work through, from prioritising the use of its resources, through its proactive work to support compliance, to targeted checks on compliance where these are warranted, and appropriate responses to non-compliance that is identified, including taking swift and firm action where necessary. Importantly for operators the Code stipulates that where an enforcing authority conducts a test purchase attempt in relation to compliance with age restricted products and services legislation, whether or not in response to a complaint or other intelligence, the business should be notified in writing of the outcome of the test purchase attempt.