Keep it simple
A town in Northern Ireland has opted for a simple approach to the ID card issue - accepting only state-sponsored ID. Andrew Burnyeat explains how 18-Plus works.
Classrooms of hungover kids, gangs of teenagers drinking on street corners and increasing numbers of youngsters admitted to hospital with alcohol-related injuries. These are the kind of stories which can put the trade on the defensive and encourage local authorities to clamp down on pubs and clubs.
The people of Coleraine in County Derry, Northern Ireland, are all too familiar with such problems. But instead of pointing the finger of blame they are working together to tackle them.
The police, the local council and about 180 licensed premises joined forces last month to launch 18-Plus, a project designed to encourage barstaff and shop workers to demand ID from anyone they suspect of being underage.
Unusually, rather than working with The Portman Group's Prove It! card or CitizenCard, backers of the scheme are accepting only state-sponsored ID, such as a driving licence, a valid passport or a voter card. In this, Northern Ireland is perhaps better equipped than Britain, as voters there must be able to prove their identity at the ballot box. They may also use a passport or a driving licence, but the Electoral Office also provides a free photo ID card for this purpose. The card remains voluntary, and so does voting.
18-Plus has the backing of the Electoral Office, whose free card is being used by young adults to prove they are old enough to be served alcohol in pubs and shops.
A key figure behind the project is Inspector Andy Lemon of Coleraine police. He says: "I don't know if the problem of underage drinking is worse here than elsewhere, but it is serious enough. Underage drinking has been linked with a number of other antisocial problems. I work with schools, and a teacher recently complained he couldn't teach his class properly because they were nearly all hungover."
"Licensees and their staff need our help to tackle this issue. It is very difficult to tell anyone's age these days, particularly young people. Modern youngsters are able to make themselves look a lot older than previous generations, and they do," he says.
Co-operation between the licensed trade and the authorities was already in place in Coleraine thanks to the oddly-named Safer Dancing Committee, which was among the first in the UK to introduce criminal record checks for doorstaff. Successes achieved in previous joint initiatives gave all concerned the confidence to back 18-Plus.
Mary McKinney, licensing enforcement officer with Coleraine Borough Council, says: "Licensees, the police and ourselves all sit on the Safer Dancing Committee. It encourages licensees to come forward with problems, rather than trying to bury them or tackling issues themselves when they could do with help."
In another previous project, doorstaff were identified as key to spotting people on their way into licensed premises with drugs. If they catch anyone with drugs, doorstaff will call the police. This has not always been the case.
A survey carried out by another committee - the District Policy Partnership, which informs police policy - asked local residents what their crime concerns were. Criminal damage came out top, with underage drinking a close second. "This meant the police had to do something about it," says Mary.
The decision to recommend only state-backed cards was made for two main reasons - the government has to administer them in any case - removing any burden on the trade or the police, and they tend to be more difficult to fake, whereas student ID cards can more or less be downloaded to order from the internet.
The main form of ID being promoted is the free Electoral Office Card. Though not designed for that purpose it can be used much like a passport or a driving licence.
A spokesman for the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland says: "We sent out application forms to the local council and we did offer some initial support but really our cards are produced for one reason only, as are driving licences."
Mary McKinney praises the Electoral Office for its help. "It's been very good," she says. "EasyJet even accepts the card now, because it is difficult to copy and because of the checks carried out on people before they can receive a card." The cards are going on a roadshow across Northern Ireland to promote use and Mary hopes more young people will apply for one.
Surrounding boroughs have already been making enquiries about how to emulate 18-Plus and Inspector Lemon reports widespread enthusiasm among the trade for the project. "People seem very keen to get involved," he says. Barstaff have produced eye-catching posters to reinforce the ID message in pubs. One reads "Fake ID, Fake Off!".
Pubs and clubs know that if 18-Plus fails, it will be because barstaff are not asking young people for ID - not doing their job in terms of the campaign.
If this happens, the police line may harden. Pubs are still raided from time to time without warning. If a lone teenager is found it's most unlikely that the pub will be punished, but regular and serious breaches will lead to stronger action.
18-Plus was launched at the Old Courthouse, JD Wetherspoon's pub in the town. Manager Tadgh O'Shea has been on the project's steering group since Christmas.
He says: "You have to be aware of what underage drinking leads to. It is linked with other social issues. We sell alcohol, yes, but we try to be responsible about it. We want to play our part in tackling this issue in Coleraine. Basically our message is, if we have any doubt about your age, you'll be asked for ID."
The Coleraine project may be worth a closer look in the light of David Blunkett's recent comments, in which he predicted that 80 per cent of the population could have new government-backed, compulsory ID cards within 10 years.
Just like driving licences and passports, ID cards will be produced with another purpose in mind and it remains to be seen what attitude the government will take to their use as proof of age in pubs.
Coleraine's 18-Plus idea may be bad news for commercial cards such as CitizenCard, which were specifically invented to help retailers. This may prove the final irony in the long ID card saga.
Pictured: The launch of 18-Plus at the Old Courthouse in Coleraine.
