New course to help retailers prevent underage and proxy alcohol sales

Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) is to offer free online training to retailers to help them prevent underage sales and proxy purchase (where adults buy alcohol on behalf of children).

CAP brings together and supports local partnerships of retailers, councils, police, schools, health providers and community groups to reduce alcohol harm to young people, improve their health and wellbeing and enhance their communities.

It has always supported retailers by providing free signage and publicity materials, helping them build positive relationships with local police, trading standards and licensing officers and offering training workshops delivered by the large supermarkets involved in CAP.

But many independent retailers don’t have the time, staff or resources to be able to take part in training courses and ensure their staff are well trained too, which puts them at risk of failing compliancy tests and even breaking the law.

Now CAP is to offer a new e-learning course which can be undertaken in store, on a phone or laptop and at any time. It covers the requirements of the 2003 Licensing Act, how to refuse suspected underage sales, spot attempted proxy purchases and apply the Challenge 25 policy.

It draws on CAP’s extensive knowledge of working with retailers over the last 15 years and has been created in conjunction with CPL Training, a leader in personal licence training to the hospitality and retail markets.

The new course will be available free of charge to all retailers in the 256 CAP areas of England and Wales and is adapted for separate licensing laws in Scotland.

CAP Director Kate Winstanley says: “Local trading standards and licensing officers do a great job by visiting independent stores to offer training and support. But it’s not always possible to reach every small retailer in the area and if these shops are not aware of their responsibilities it could put their licences and livelihoods at risk. We hope independent retailers will find this short course a convenient and helpful way to ensure they have effective age verification policies in place.”

CAP will distribute information to retailers about the new course through its network of local CAPs around the UK.