There are many ways to ensure compliance within licensed premises, with the following information available to help those who are involved with operating premises licensed under the Licensing Act 2003.

At all premises licensed to sell alcohol, the premises licence holder is required to have in place an age verification policy. We strongly recommend that such a policy is written.  Displaying awareness posters can also assist with reminding customers and staff of the age verification policy adopted by the premises, and this is often a condition on the premises licence. 

Every sale of alcohol that takes place in a premises that has the benefit of a premises licence has to be made or authorised by a person who holds a personal licence. We strongly recommend that people authorised to make such sales are given written authorisation.

It is extremely useful to record occasions when sales of age restricted products have been refused. Such records may assist with a defence of due diligence in the event of an offence being committed.

A person commits an offence if they buy or attempt to buy alcohol on behalf of an individual aged under 18. This practice is commonly referred to as a 'proxy' sale. To prevent such sales taking place, posters can be displayed to inform of the law and discourage proxy sales. 
Posters and other relevant resources are available by searching online to help with the best practices explained above. There are also two posters available to download below.

This scheme is made up of licensed premises from across the whole of Crawley.

Key objectives of the group are to:

• tackle and prevent antisocial behaviour and criminal activity
• promote safe drinking environments for customers and secure working environments for staff
• improve communication and information sharing between licensees, Crawley Borough Council, and Sussex Police
• support premises in meeting their licensing objectives through active membership and participation

CGBW provides an intelligence-sharing platform, enabling secure and GDPR-compliant reporting of individuals who offend on licensed premises. Monthly Pub Watch meetings are held to facilitate the exchange of information, provide training and guidance from licensing authorities, and offer valuable face-to-face engagement with Sussex Police.

Some premises licences will have a condition attached that requires the premises to be a member of the CGBW. We strongly recommend all licensed premises to be members of the scheme. Further information on the scheme can be found on the Crawley and Gatwick Business Watch website.