Challenge 21 is a scheme that has been developed by the industry itself and is currently being adopted as best practice.

Put simply: If a customer appears to be under 21 they must prove they are over the legal age for that product, for example 18 for alcohol.  

It is a safeguard to remove any ambiguity in the minds of you and your staff as to “is she/he or isn’t she/he over the legal age ” - if they look under 21 they MUST prove they are over age by showing one of the three acceptable forms of ID below.

The practical reality is that judging the age of young people can sometimes be challenging, a fact recognised recently by the Courts. Expecting sales assistants to judge the age of young people may well be unrealistic, and result in you being held responsible for a sale despite having provided training and instructions. Adopting Challenge 21 takes the guesswork out of judging a person’s age.  An agreement has been reached between Leicestershire Constabulary, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards Officers to ensure consistent standards of proof of age across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The only forms of identification that are acceptable to all three organisations are a PASS approved ID card, Photo Driving Licence or Passport. Proof of Age Card application forms are available as stated in the enclosed leaflets, but are also available from most Police Stations and libraries.

Before accepting any ID you and your staff should check:

Whilst the pack contains information on a variety of age restricted products I would specifically remind you that it is an offence under the Licensing Act 2003, to sell, permit or allow the sale of alcohol to or for persons under the age of 18 years. It is also an offence to allow the consumption of alcohol in a bar of licensed premises by persons under 18.

Remember if you or members of your staff are in any doubt about a person’s age simply don’t serve them. The law states:

Adopting and registering the Challenge 21 Scheme, training your staff and ensuring you keep proper records which will go a significant way to showing that you are taking reasonable steps. As the owner / licensee both you and your staff have personal responsibility and accountability in this matter.

If you have any further questions in respects of the legal position on liquor licensing issues please contact the Police Liquor Licensing Department on 0116 2222222.