News from Peterborough City Council

Peterborough City Council's licensing committee has suspended the premises licence for Bogart's in North Street, Peterborough, after Cambridgeshire Constabulary requested it be reviewed following an incident of underage sales.

 

The licensing committee met yesterday (Wednesday 2 July) to review the licence and decided on the following suspension and conditions being placed on the licence:

 

The review was requested by Cambridgeshire Constabulary after a sale of alcohol was made to a person under the age of 18 years on 7 March 2008 at the premises. The seller of the alcohol was issued with a penalty notice for disorder and the designated premises supervisor, Thomas Melillo, is still being investigated for an offence under the Licensing Act 2003.

 

A mediation meeting was held between police and the premises licence holders (represented by Mr Melillo) when certain conditions to help prevent future underage sales at the premises were agreed.

 

Darren Dolby, licensing enforcement officer at the city council, said: "We hope that the suspension of the licence of a city centre licensed premises will remind all retailers of alcohol in Peterborough of the need to ensure that they put in place an adequate level of staff training to prevent any sales of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 and the potential consequences if they do not.

 

"We would recommend that the 'Challenge 21' policy, where any person who wishes to purchase alcohol and is lucky enough to look under the age of 21 is challenged to prove that they are aged 18 or over, be implemented. This, together with adequate staff training will hopefully reduce the amount of underage sales and the chances of premises having their licences suspended or revoked.

 

"Working with our partners Cambridgeshire Constabulary through the Peterborough Evening Partnership we will be offering an 'Age restricted sales business information pack' to all premises throughout Peterborough who have products that are subject to age restrictions, such as alcohol, knives, petrol. This package will be available from the end of July."

 

Community safety and licensing manager Jo Oldfield, from Bridge Street Police Station in Peterborough, added that the action against Bogart's was part of an ongoing campaign to prevent the sale of alcohol to underage people.

 

She said: "I am pleased with the decision of the licensing committee and I hope it sends out a clear message that selling alcohol to children will not be tolerated. We will prosecute and we will seek a licence review. This action is part of a larger campaign to tackle underage drinking and we are targeting off as well as on licensed premises."

 

Other initiatives being run by police, trading standards and the city council's licensing department, include test purchasing operations, the promotion of Challenge 21 schemes and joint inspection visits, which are designed to support staff in creating safe retail environments and in building safer communities.