Serving alcohol to underage persons declines

Fewer breaches of public order and fewer cases of serving alcoholic beverages to underage and intoxicated persons than before were noted at licensed restaurants, said a press release issued by the National Police Board.

The police performed enhanced supervision of licensed restaurants and foreign nationals countrywide from 24 September to 30 September 2018.

No foreign nationals residing in the country illegally were met during the campaign.

Some police departments carried out the supervision operation in cooperation with alcohol inspectors, rescue services, and occupational health and safety inspectors.

The supervision targeted licensed restaurants which have caused disturbances in public order.

The supervision of restaurants licensed to sell alcoholic beverages focussed specifically on serving alcoholic beverages to intoxicated and underage persons, public order at the licensed restaurants and the impact of the business on the outside of the restaurants and their immediate vicinity.

The findings were compared to figures from 2012-2014 and 2016-2017, because enhanced supervision could not be carried out in 2015 due to the asylum-seeker situation.

This year, the supervising officers had to intervene in 15 cases of serving alcoholic beverages to clearly intoxicated persons and one case of serving alcoholic beverages to an underage person.

The number of cases of serving alcoholic beverages to intoxicated persons was 20 in 2017, 23 in 2016, 35 in 2014, and 58 in 2013. The number of cases of serving alcoholic beverages to an underage person was three in 2017, one in 2016, two in 2014, four in 2013, and an anomalous 18 in 2012.

A total of nine cases of breaching public order were observed during the course of the supervision. In most of these cases, a person performing the duties of a security steward did not have a valid security steward card at the workplace. The number of similar offences was 15 in 2017, 19 in 2016, 21 in 2014, 28 in 2013, and 51 in 2012.

There were 12 disturbances of public order in or outside licensed restaurants. The corresponding figure for 2017 was 21 and for 2016, 35 in total.

Supervision of foreign nationals targeted 95 restaurants this year. Of the 312 people inspected in this connection, three were suspected of working illegally.

The corresponding figures for last year were 57 restaurants, 280 persons, and six individuals working illegally.