Porirua liquor outlets stung after under age sales
Four liquor outlets in the Porirua Basin temporarily lost their ability to trade in recent weeks -- the penalty for selling alcohol to minors.
In 5 September last year Porirua Police, the Porirua District Licensing Agency and Regional Public Health ran a controlled purchase operation using some young volunteers to see if off licences complied with the Sale of Liquor Act and checked identification before allowing transactions to be made.
Seven of the 21 premises visited sold alcohol and of these six were taken to the Liquor Licensing Authority.
Senior Sergeant Steve Sargent, Porirua Police, says the LLA finished hearing the charges on 20 January and recently released their decisions. Those penalised were:
- Daji Foodmarket in Te Puke Street, Titahi Bay, who had their off licence suspended for five working days
- Liquor Price Bandits on Parumoana Street, Porirua, who had their off licence suspended for one working day and the duty manager had his manager certificate suspended for one month
- Whitby New World, Discovery Drive, Whitby, who had their off licence suspended for one work day and the duty manager had his manager certificate suspended for 14 working days
- Pak n Save Porirua, Parumoana Street, Porirua, who had their off licence suspended for five working days.
Senior Sergeant Sargent says Grandslam Mana and Grandslam Porirua did not have their off licences suspended as they indicated to the Authority that their procedures should have covered this type of situation.
"They dealt with the matter internally through disciplinary procedures and terminated the contracts of the duty managers responsible. The duty manager at Mana had her manager certificate suspended for a month and the Porirua duty manager faces a one-year probation period in respect of his manager certificate."
No application was made to suspend either the off licence or manager certificate at the seventh premises -- Nischay Foodmarket in Fantame Street, Cannons Creek - as the previous owner has now taken over the business again.
"We were disappointed by the number of outlets who failed to comply with the Sale of Liquor Act," Senior Sergeant Sargent says. "The penalties imposed by the Liquor Licensing Authority should however serve as a timely and costly reminder for traders.
"Young people and alcohol can be a lethal mix so we continue to keep the pressure on off licences. There will be another sting operation in Porirua and next time we hope to see that no sales are made to the young volunteers."
Ends
Media contact:
Senior Sergeant Steve Sargent
Porirua Police
Tel: 238 1400