ACS

14 May 2010

In his latest blog post, ACS Chief Executive James Lowman has slammed Guardian writer Josie Appleton's comment piece on ID card schemes as "ridiculous" and has defended retailers as being "absolutely right to have strict policies of asking for proof of age". 

Miss Appleton's piece, appearing in today's Comment is Free section, calls for a challenge to the culture of ID checking, citing "two women in their late 20's that have been ID-checked for bottles of wine so frequently that they now carry their passports to go to the supermarket" as part of her reasoning.

The piece continues by claiming that local shops are "under the threat of heavy fines for serving underage drinkers or for employing somebody who is not entitled to work in the UK" but that the legislation is "seeking justification".

James Lowman's full response to the article is below...

"How ridiculous for Josie Appleton to criticise retailers and proof of age schemes for trying to stop under age people from buying alcohol and tobacco. Aside from all the valid health and social reasons why no-one who has any concept of fair and responsible communities would want children to get hold of these products, let’s look at two very simple practical reasons why retailers are absolutely right to have strict policies of asking for proof of age.

Firstly, if a retailer makes a sale to someone under age, they face penalties ranging from a £5,000 fine to a ban on selling tobacco for a number of months, to restrictions on their alcohol licence, to a loss of that alcohol licence or their lottery terminal. To keep this simple, that means that if they don’t ask for proof of age, retailers face a significant risk of their business closing down.

Secondly, if retailers get a reputation locally for being soft on alcohol and tobacco sales, guess what – kids try to buy these products from them. With this comes daily abuse, intimidation and the sorts of problems anyone who had ever been to the estates and neighbourhoods where local shops trade (aka The Real World, see Google Maps on your PC if you would rather stay safely in your office) knows blight those areas. Retailers who stand up to these problems and try to stop children buying these products should be applauded and supported, not vilified as part of some Orwellian plot to make people show ID at every turn.

Proof of age cards are filling a gap left by the absence of an ID card. Of course ID cards attract genuine and polarised views which I respect, but the fact is we don’t have one in the UK, so how else are retailers other businesses who need (as oppose to making an arbitrary choice) to request ID supposed to discharge their duties? All proof of age cards are voluntary, but I’m pleased that they are becoming more popular because more retailers are asking more often for proof of age to avoid falling foul of the law.

I understand how frustrating it must be for groups like The Manifesto Club to no longer have an ID card scheme to attack, but please don’t turn your guns on local shops."

To read more of James' blog, click here