Watford police cadets help with test purchase operation

Watford Volunteer Police Cadets recently assisted officers with a test purchase operation.

On Friday 6 September, seven cadets aged between 14 and 17 years old attempted to purchase alcohol from 10 licensed premises in the town centre.

This resulted in two failures where the shops sold alcohol to the underage cadets.

Following the purchases, officers then debriefed the shops about the test purchase outcomes. The two stores that had sold the alcohol to the cadets are now being investigated.

There are four key objectives that make up the Licensing Act 2003 which must be taken into account and adhered to:

• Prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm

Community Safety Unit Sergeant Karl Diggins said: “I’m pleased that the majority of the shops passed the test purchase operation. However, there is work to do for those who failed. Our Senior Licencing Officer will be working closely with the stores to ensure relevant learning is taken on board and improvements are made.

“I would encourage licensed premises to please think twice before serving age-restricted items including alcohol and tobacco to a young person. If in doubt, ask for their ID.

“I’d also like to thank the Watford cadets who volunteered their time to help with this operation and hope it gave them a real insight into aspects of policing.”