Author: Sal
Over 21 Alcohol Scheme Comes To Ventnor
Tuesday, 20th October, 2009 at 11:43 am, Isle of Wight
Law & Order, News, Ventnor, Youth
If you’re aged between 18 and 21 and looking to buy alcohol in Ventnor on a Friday or Saturday night, be aware of changes being introduced next week.
From Friday 30th October, Ventnor off licences are joining a scheme initiated by Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire Constabulary aimed at tackling alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.
We understand that the scheme is already running in Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin and prohibits anyone under 21 years old to buy alcohol on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm until closing time from retailers signed up to the scheme.
We’re told that there has been a reported reduction in problems outside the shops.
Sergeant Richard Stapleton, who leads Hampshire Constabulary’s South Wight Safer Neighbourhoods team, said “We are committed to preventing alcohol related crime in Ventnor by targeting problem areas at the right times. Working in partnership with local shops, pubs and off licences can deliver significant improvements.
“Powers under the Confiscation of Alcohol Act and the Violent Crime Reduction Act are being used successfully already. Street drinking by those under age or anyone who intends to act in an anti social manner will not be tolerated in Ventnor. We welcome this initiative, which will be an important addition to our existing work.”
Biology Big Brother under CC BY-SA 2.0
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As someone in my 50’s I’m not affected by this, and I’m also not keen to see hoards of drunken people around the town.
However, I thought that the law was that people over 18 can buy and drink alcohol. Surely it is not up to local police and retailers to do something different. If they want something different they should be lobbying our MP and having a proper debate in parliament about changing the law.
Also I’m not convinced that by any means all of the people I see on the streets of Ventnor a bit the worse for drink of a night are under 21 anyway.
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Its a volentary scheme and any premise can opt out ( at the police and councils displeasure) All licensed premises (on or off) have the right to refuse to sell alcohol to anybody they choose
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In general we let young people down by our ongoing failure to provide any appropriate guidance and then we criticise them for behaving like fools. This seems like an excellent way to put some common sense and social responsibility back into the way we manage our young people.
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I think this is quite ridiculous to be honest.
The constant prejudice against teenagers is shameless fearmongering and it has no foreseeable benefit.
Who is to say that someone 21 is any less likely to cause trouble than someone 18.
In my experience it’s often been the case that 18 and 19 year olds are just out to have a good time and keep to themselves, whereas the early twenties lads enjoy starting fights and falling in the road.
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Professinal surveys dispute that hense the move.
Mind you…it has been in place in Shanklin and Ryde for quite a while now and I see no less teenagers drunk in the street. The real problem isn’t 18-21 year olds its 13-17 year olds that look 18, but may not look 21.
If more places actually checked ID and refused to sell alcohol to people who are obviously drunk (which is against the law) then such measures would not be necessary (even if they are pointless)
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An obvious point, but one that people seem to have missed out on, is that the ban is only from 6pm onwards on the Friday and Saturday nights, and that any 18-21 year old looking for a jolly night will just buy it earlier in the day!
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Actually this goes further than I thought. Yesterday when I was in Pier Street I noticed that the scoop shop requires ID to be shown when buying eggs and flour to prove you are over 16. Presumably in case you are going to throw them at someone (was Prescott’s egg thrower under 16?).
Where will this end? No sales of bottled water in case you put it in a water pistol? no bananas in case you leave them in the street for people to slip on? no chewing gum in case you leave it on a seat?
When I was 15 my mother was seriously ill for a year and my father was working very long hours. If I hadn’t done the shopping we would not have had food in much of the time. I just guess we’d have had to do without flour and eggs in that case.
Just going back to the alcohol point. I remember that it was a big thing to me being able to buy and drink alcohol when I was 18. I would have viewed any restriction on this as a real afront. If we don’t want all our young people to leave the island and leave it as a vast old folks home then surely we need to treat them with a bit more respect.
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I noticed the no eggs and flour notice in a shop in Newport yesterday. I figured it was in preparation for Halloween, but might be wrong.
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how depressing – that isle of wight youths are presumed ready to commit mindless mayhem.
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Of course it is Sal…they do it every year
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you might be right!
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23760081-flour-and-egg-crackdown-to-halt-halloween-pranks.do
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the london evening standard also had an editorial relating to the above article (not sure if the editorial’s online) which said let kids be kids with their “harmless pranks”.
i wouldn’t regard it as a harmless prank if some local yobs decided to throw stuff at my door and windows.
hang the blighters, i say :)
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where will it end?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222132/Schoolboy-banned-buying-pack-Wine-Gums–young-drink.html
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Typical of the Daily Mail to make a mountain out of a molehill. The problem is not the kid buying winegums, its the idiot staff employed, hense the apology from the shops owners.
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Going back a few years to my childhood I would be sent out on a Sunday to get the newspapers. Some of the olderfolk would train pet dogs to do it,some of the dogs would carry a shopping bag.The newsagent would look in the bag find the list and money,load up the bag with papers,snuff,tabacco and something off the topself.How did the newsagent know if the dog was old enough to purchase these goods? He took out his barcode reader and checked the microchip!Why does the Govt waste time and money on debating about ID cards when you can take your toddler to the vets for a fiver.Then if he or she would like to buy fags and booze at the legal age the shop keeper would just have to scan the neck area.Please do not take this seriously and tell anyone in power or we will all be off to the vets.My vet said it was a painless procedure until he was bitten.
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