Trading Standards Tobacco Under Age Sales Enforcement

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Trading Standards Tobacco Under Age Sales
Enforcement

• Chris Cooper
• Divisional Manager Safety and Metrology
• Durham County Council

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Under Age Sales Enforcement

• Back ground to UAS enforcement
• Current activity
• How we fit in to the Alliance
• Challenges for the future
• How you can support us
• Questions

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Background

• Trading Standards has a wide remit
• Under Age Sales enforcement small but
  increasingly important part of our work
• Tobacco one of 7 age sensitive products
• Alcohol traditionally seen as highest priority
  because of antisocial behaviour associations

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Trading Standards Under Age Sales

• Test purchasing with child volunteers
• LACORS Code of Practice
• Every complaint/intelligence acted upon
• Project work to test compliance
• Advisory visits (complaints)
• Examination of traders systems
• A successful test purchase results in PACE
  interviews and usually caution or prosecution

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Service complaints/intelligence

• For 2007/8 the Service has received the
  following numbers of complaints or information in
  respect to age restricted products (last years
  figures in brackets) -
• Alcohol 53 (57)
• Tobacco 14 (9)
• Aerosol Paints 1 (9)
• Fireworks 0 (2)
• Videos/DVDs 0 (0)
• Lighter Refills 2 (1)
• Solvents 0 (0)

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Test purchase activity 2007/8
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Other activity

• Educational campaign on age raise for tobacco
• No ID No Sale posters (Challenge 21)
• Press releases and Radio interviews
• Routine inspections ( Statutory notice /
  advertising ban compliance)
• Developing partnerships

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Tobacco Alliance group

• Raised our focus on tobacco control issues
• Raised our understanding of the health issues
• Action plan contribution clear targets
• Access to funding
• Joint working has made a real difference

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Challenges for the future

• Smuggled and counterfeit tobacco
• Proxy sales
• Sales from non retail premises
• Vending machines ban or tighter controls?
• A change of test purchase procedure?
• Internet sales?
• Improved partnership working

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How you can support us

• Report sources of under age sales
• One number for all.
• Crime stoppers
• on
• 0800 555 111