Bottle-and-can tagging will identify retailers and adults who supply kids with drink

A police initiative to track down people who buy alcohol for underage teenagers is being trialled in Cricklade and Purton, Wiltshire.

Cans and bottles sold from off licences in the two towns will be marked with a unique code. Police officers who seize any alcohol from minors can then use the code to trace it back to the point of sale and hopefully identify the outlet where it was sold and the offender through CCTV footage.

The Neighbourhood Policing Teams are working with North Wiltshire District Council for the initiative, which if successful, could see similar measures introduced across the district.

The scheme is aimed at non-compliant shops and retialers, but also provides a method of identifying adults who may be buying alcohol and then passing it on to under-age drinkers.

To read this item from the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, click here