[20
APR 00] COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL NEWS
Coventry Considers Undercover Kiddie Cops
BY ANTONY HOPKER
Children could be used to snare Coventry traders
who illegally sell cigarettes, videos, fireworks and lighter refills to minors.
Trading Standards
officers want to bring in undercover youngsters to catch out unscrupulous shop-owners who
break the rules on selling restricted goods to under-age children.
Previously the city
council has shied away from using young people in enforcement work.
But officers are now
calling for a hard-line approach, particularly with regard to solvent abuse.
And they are calling
for councillors to lobby the government to permit children to be used to catch people who
illegally sell alcohol.
A report to next
week’s Environment and Transportation Policy Team says that pro-active enforcement of
the law is difficult without using children.
Currently Trading
Standards officers are limited to inspecting warning notices in shops and giving advice to
traders.
The use of children is
being planned along guidelines set by the Home Office.
Three days’
action tackling solvents, and one for cigarettes, fireworks, lighter refills and videos
are being planned.
If they get the
go-ahead, officers would inspect 75 premises across the city.
In each case a Trading
Standards officer would be undercover in the shop and watch the child making the purchase.
If the youngster is
challenged about their age they are instructed to be honest. If they are buying cigarettes
and asked who they are for they are to say they are for their parents.
Radio microphones
could be used in small shops where it would be difficult for an officer to act incognito.
Two
areas which will not be covered by the operation are National Lottery ticket sales and
offensive weapons as the council is not responsible for enforcing the relevant law.
Cllr John McNicholas, Chair of the Policy team, said:
"Smoking amongst young people is on the increase.
"We have a responsibility to try and weed out those unscrupulous traders
who put profit before our children's health."
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