Four different counterfeiting operations, involving the production of false identification for under-age drinkers, have been uncovered by gardaí in Dublin over the past eight months. Joe Humphreys reports.
Supt Vincent Maguire, director of the Garda National Juvenile Office, said gardaí had seized counterfeiting equipment in each instance, and files were being prepared for the DPP.
He was speaking yesterday at a conference in Dublin on problems faced by the off-licence industry in counteracting under-age drinking.
Supt Maguire cited recent research suggesting teenagers were becoming more financially independent, and that this was contributing to higher levels of alcohol consumption.
In a survey of under-age drinkers in Mallow, Co Cork, 48 per cent of respondents said they got their drinking money from part-time jobs, 36 per cent from parents, 7 per cent from friends, and 6 per cent from theft.
Another survey, carried out by a student garda at Templemore College, found 42 per cent of under 18s in Limerick spent €10-€20 on alcohol a week, 40 per cent €20-€30 a week, and 12 per cent in excess of €30 a week. Some 11 per cent of respondents said they went out socialising every night of the week.
"Now that we have 96 per cent employment in the country, there is greater of availability of cash. Parents are no longer the primary source of income for young people," said Supt Maguire.
While he said ID counterfeiting operations were making it more difficult to control under-age drinking, those discovered to date were limited in size. "Usually, they are not long in existence before we find out about them," he said.
As part of the recent forgeries, false IDs - mimicking those issued by the Garda - were selling for up to €40 apiece.
The National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) said the problem was one of many faced by its 300-plus members in fighting under-age drinking.
Its chairman, Mr John Shiel, said some of the confusion over ID cards would be eradicated if they were issued automatically by the State to 18-year-olds. At present, he said, "our advice is that only four forms of ID are acceptable: a Garda ID, a driving licence, a passport, or a European identity card."
NOffLA has established a voluntary training scheme for its members on how to deal with customers whom they suspect may be under-age. Some 60 off-licences took part in the Responsible Trading in the Community scheme last year, 85 per cent graduating with a "Grade A rating" following on-the-spot checks, said Mr Shiel.
The Commission on Intoxicating Liquor has recommended that licensed traders be obliged to formally train their staff to deal with under-age drinkers before licences would be renewed.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it was "seriously considering" making such training mandatory in the Intoxicating Liquor Consolidation Bill.