Police vow to raise bar for liquor outlets selling to minors

They have been named and shamed: Now police vow to keep cracking down on Northland liquor outlets selling booze to underaged youths.
Whangarei district businesses which will have their off-licences suspended for selling alcohol to minors in March are Super Liquor Whangarei, Bream Bay Foodmarket, Otaika Liquor and Poroti Tavern. Suspension times range from 24 hours to five days, starting late this month and early next month.
Those outlets' general managers who were on duty at the time of the purchases will also have their certificates suspended for between three and four weeks.
Whangarei Sergeant Howard Clement, the police liquor licensing boss, has promised no let-up for Northland's liquor outlets.
"March was our first controlled purchase operation and there will be more in the future - we will be doing them regularly," he said.
The outlets were found selling booze to minors during a joint operation involving Whangarei police, Northland Health and the Liquor Licensing Authority.
Volunteers aged 16 and 17 entered the premises and bought liquor without being asked their age or required to show identification, a New Zealand Liquor Licensing document says.
Of the 49 attempts to buy alcohol in the Whangarei and Kaipara districts during the controlled purchase operation, 13 sales resulted. Most offending outlets are believed to have been sent letters of warning rather than being dealt with by the liquor licensing authority.
Inspector Paul Dimery said at the time he was "dismayed at the lack of responsibility displayed by the retailers involved. There appears to be no social conscience involved and no understanding of the harm alcohol can cause".
Meanwhile, the general manager of a Northland outlet has had her general manager's licence suspended for two weeks from August 7 after being caught drink driving in March. Jessica Lee Scott, who was 18 at the time, allegedly blew 321 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The maximum for anyone under 20 is 150mcg.