A police crackdown on shops selling alcohol to youngsters could see children being used as “undercover” investigators.
Dundee City Council licensing board heard on Thursday “underage issues” were becoming prevalent in the city centre, with youngsters “out on the town” using fake identification to pretend they were 18 or older in order to obtain alcohol.
The board heard from the chief constable’s annual report, which noted a number of measures being put in place to tackle the scourge of underage drinking.
Door staff across the city, as well as shop keepers in off-licenses, are now being encouraged to confiscate false IDs, as well as enact on a two-tier ID policy where they ask for a second, confirmatory piece of identification.
Police have not tasked underage children with entering a licensed premises to attempt to buy alcohol for some time.
In addition, officers in Tayside have only sent one warning letter to a premises suspected of selling alcohol to underage drinkers and it was not in Dundee.
Two intervention plans have been introduced in Dundee in the last year, with Seagate nightclub Industry subject to an order because of issues with underage people being permitted on the premises.
Industry club owner Tahir Ramzan was before the board on Thursday morning.
He said: “My team are doing the best job they possibly can.
“The intervention plan has really been best for business and has given us the kick-up the backside we needed, now all of our paperwork is in good order.”
Mr Ramzan added door-staff had confiscated false IDs of people pretending to be other, older people and were regularly asking for secondary identification – including bank cards or other proofs.
It is illegal for people under 18 to purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol from off sales premises, pubs and clubs.
It is not an offence for a child or young person, however, to buy or attempt to buy alcohol if they’ve been asked to do so by the chief constable for the purpose of determining whether an offence is being committed.
