Illicit Alcohol in Coventry Off-Licenses
Four off-licenses in and around Coventry have had a combined total of 1,639 bottles of spirits and almost 14,000 cans of lager confiscated from their premises during a two day crackdown by custom officers.
The illicit alcohol was destined for the export market but was kept in the country avoiding the excise and duty fees. The haul, if not detected would have made a loss of £13,500 to the public purse.
Charges brought against the off license owners could result in financial penalties of a minimum of £250 fine.
A spokeswoman for Revenue and Customs added: "The illegal trade has a detrimental impact on legitimate traders and all of us, as the tax had not been paid.
"This alcohol should have been exported but it was diverted on route. The retailers are then selling it but the tax hasn't been paid.
"We are now going to be issuing financial penalty notices. At the moment we haven't made any arrests."
HM Revenue and Customs are hoping this crackdown will send out the message that teams are working in and around the areas with a zero tolerance policy against those that break and flout the law.
Local people within the communities are being urged to help fight against crime and help with any information regarding illegally imported goods or tax evasion and fraud.
Under ‘Section 13 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, joint visits to off-licenses with the Licensing Officer from Coventry City Council are carried out by the police. Inspections are taken while giving advice on anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and dealing with underage sales.
Coventry Fighting To Control Drinking Problems
The City of Coventry has seen a fall of alcohol related crimes since all streets and parks were declared a ‘no drinking’ area. Police were given the power to confiscate alcohol from anyone found drinking within them and those that resisted could be issued with a £50 fine.
Alcohol testing strips are being trialed during the crackdown by the Police. The strips can provide a quick and accurate reading to test if any alcohol substance may be present in such containers as soft drink bottles or cans.
Inspector Chris Hanson from Chace Avenue police station said: “Whether through choice or ignorance there are a lot of people continuing to break the law by drinking alcohol in public. By highlighting and vigorously enforcing this law we hope to see a positive effect to other forms of crime and antisocial behaviour.”
“Cutting alcohol related crime is a top priority for officers at Chace Avenue police station and this initiative is just one way that we are going about tackling the problem. We will be continuing our efforts and hopefully this month’s crackdown will be a message to everyone that we will not tolerate drunken behaviour which causes misery to others.”
Coventry has a high rate of assaults and antisocial behaviour which is drink related and has seen a significant decrease since the crackdown was put into force.
‘No drinking’ signs and posters are seen all around the neighbourhood. The names and contacts of any underage offenders are taken and their parents/guardians are sent a warning letter. Over 16 years olds can face fines of up to £50 while those aged between 10 to 15 years could face a fine of £30. Alcohol is taken and poured away by those people found to be breaching the legislation and underage drinkers will be taken home.
A total of 25 officers spent over a week confiscating alcohol from youngsters’ in the city’s troubled ‘hot spots’ during the Autumn half term in 2007. Cans and bottles of larger, wine larger and cheap vodka worth almost £500 was seized and thrown away.
The haul was hailed a huge success with figures released showing 84 reported incidents from the previous year, compared to 41 for the same time one year later.
The City of Coventry seems to be in the forefront of trying to bring down the alcohol related crimes, underage drinking and the selling of illicit alcohol. If all cities within the UK adhered to the same guidelines and following through with relevant penalties, this could be one step closer to solving the drink problem that has been getting out of control for years.