Booze sold to 15-year-old girl in sting

Two licensed premises sold liquor to the underage girl. Photo / Thinkstock

A 15-year-old girl bought alcohol from a Mt Maunganui bar during a police operation at the weekend.

The controlled-purchase sting was part of Operation Unite, which also involved mass breath-testing of drivers.

The joint police operation between Australia and New Zealand was aimed at changing attitudes around alcohol.

During the operation, a 15-year-old female volunteer attempted to buy alcohol at eight off-licence premises.

She was sold a six-pack of ready-to-drink alcohol mixes at one Mt Maunganui shop, and was also able to buy liquor from a bar in the suburb.

"Police were disappointed that licensed premises were not checking identification before selling alcohol to anyone appearing underage," Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair said.

"Police will be following up with the two licensed premises who sold to the underage girl."

Twenty-three arrests were made over the weekend, mostly in central Tauranga, for alcohol-related violence and disorder. Of those arrests, seven were for breaching a liquor ban. Two young people were dealt with by way of liquor infringement notices.

During Operation Unite, which ran from 6pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday, more than 40,000 drivers in Australia and New Zealand were breath-tested at checkpoints and by mobile patrols. Less than 1 per cent of them tested positive for alcohol.

- NZPA