Challenge 25 policy is about buying alcohol, retail alcohol standards and preventing underage sales.

Challenge 25 is a policy whereby anyone buying alcohol who appears to be below the age of 25 can be asked to provide an acceptable form of ID.

The British Beer and Pub Association introduced the Challenge 21 campaign.The Retail of Alcohol Standards Group took over the scheme.

The Challenge 21 and Challenge 25 schemes are designed to raise awareness of the illegality of underaged sales.

All licensed premises in England and Wales must have an age verification policy in place in order to sell alcohol.

The minimum requirement for this policy is that individuals who appear to be the responsible person be under the age of 18 to produce on request, before being served alcohol, identification bearing their photograph, date of birth, and either a hologram or ultraviolet feature.

The premises licence holder needs to make sure that staff involved in the sale of alcohol are aware of the age verification policy.

The Challenge 25 policy is not mandatory for responsible licensees, but it can be a sensible way to meet the proof of age policy.It can prove to be an effective way to prevent and eradicate underaged sales.

In order to prevent the commission of an offence, your staff will be encouraged to verify the age of anyone who looks under 25 when buying alcohol.It will encourage anyone who is over 18 but under 25 to carry appropriate ID when buying alcohol.

There are strict laws regarding the sale and supply of alcohol in the UK.It is illegal in England and Wales under the provisions of the 2003 Act.

There can be significant consequences if you are found guilty of an offence.These include:

There are a number of ways in which you can show that you have exercised due diligence as a licensee.The following tips can be used to demonstrate your commitment to responsible licensing.

Staff should be trained on when and how to verify a customer's age.As a licensee, you are responsible for ensuring that your staff are aware of the requirement to ask for identification, that they understand what are acceptable forms of ID, and they are able to spot fake ID.

Only the PASS card from the national Proof of Age Standards scheme can be used as proof of age.You should let your customers know what forms of ID are acceptable.

Posters are displayed in prominent places in the store to promote your proof of age policy.This will help deter potential customers and act as a back up to staff members who make challenges.

Help your staff apply your proof of age policy.It is important that staff decisions not to serve alcohol to customers are not challenged and overturned.

Keep records of failed attempts to buy alcohol for people who look under the age of 25.

You have a right to refuse the sale of alcohol to an adult if you suspect that the alcohol is being bought for a child.Many licensees have rules requiring ID from all members of a group in order to proceed with the sale, notwithstanding that this may lead to adults being refused service when shopping with someone under the age of 18.

You may want to use the Challenge 25 test-purchasing programme, in which test purchasers will look and act as underaged buyers of alcohol, and report back on how the purchase or refusal was conducted on your licensed premises.

It is possible to monitor how staff handle transactions where the customer looks under the age of 18, and if necessary put in place additional training to ensure that all members of staff are confident in making the necessary challenges to prevent underaged sales.

Tough financial penalties, as well as the risk of temporary closure or revocation of your licence, can be brought about by the law relating to underaged sales.

It is not uncommon for the police or trading standards to test licensees and their staff in the sale of alcohol to young people.In order to purchase alcohol, volunteers under the age of 18 must enter the premises.

If you are facing prosecution, you should always seek legal advice from an expert in licensing law.If reasonable steps have been taken to verify the age of a customer, your legal adviser can help to raise a defence.

An age verification policy such as Challenge 25 can be implemented with the help of your adviser.You can help to prevent the sale of alcohol on your premises.

The information contained in this article is intended to be general.This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such.No warranty, express or implied, is given as to the accuracy of the information, and no liability is accepted for any error or omission.Legal advice should be sought before acting on any of the information.