Police on Arran are using hi-tech methods in their fight against under-age drinking. Bottles of alcohol sold in some off-licensed premises on the island have unique reference numbers, which are invisible to the naked eye but are readable under ultra-violet light. Each reference number can help police trace where the bottle was bought from and, using till receipts and CCTV images, police can find out who bought the alcohol.
Sergeant Alister Kelly, licensing sergeant for Ayrshire Division, told The Arran Banner the initiative would primarily target adults who buy alcohol for youths. He added: ‘Youngsters wait outside the shop and ask people passing by to buy them alcohol. We’re trying to raise awareness among the adults who will be fined up to £1,000 if found guilty of supplying alcohol to under-age drinkers.
‘The idea is to stop the youngsters getting hold of alcohol and prevent the anti-social behaviour that comes with it. ‘You find youngsters that have been drinking in places you wouldn’t want them to be, so there’s a public safety aspect to this as well.’ The radical initiative has been put to use on mainland Ayrshire as a pilot scheme between 29 January and 31 March but there is enough concern over under-age drinking on the island to put it into practice here. The Co-op stores on the island are already involved but Sergeant Kelly hopes other licensed premises will come on board. The Arran Banner
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