Police and health authorities are praising the actions of Whangarei liquor stores after a recent undercover sting found only one of 17 outlets selling alcohol to somebody under age.
Whangarei police and staff from the Northland District Health Board's public health unit recently conducted a controlled purchase operation in the district using two 16-year-olds to try to buy alcohol.
The two volunteers tried to buy alcohol at 17 off-licensed premises, but only one sold to the youngsters, Whangarei police alcohol harm reduction officer Howard Clement said.
Police are not releasing the name of the offending outlet at this stage.
Mr Clement said although the results were encouraging, one sale to an underage customer is one too many.
The district health board and police had been running joint controlled purchasing operations in Northland for five years, giving premises an opportunity to test their procedures and tighten up their systems where necessary.
Northland DHB's public health unit technical officer Wendy Antrobus said all licensees and their staff must remain vigilant.
"This latest operation has shown that by far the majority of off-licensed premises in Whangarei adhered to their responsibilities."
Controlled purchase operations are part of a programme to assess compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, in an effort to address access to alcohol by minors.
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