Underage sting tactic justified, say police

Whangarei's police chief is making no apologies for using 16-year-olds in sting operations to target liquor outlets that sell alcohol to minors.
Police have been accused by some licensees of entrapment for carrying out stings, or controlled purchase operations (CPOs), where an underage youth is sent into bars in an effort to buy alcohol.
Whangarei and Kaipara police area controller Inspector Paul Dimery has also hinted that gangs are trying to take control of some pubs in the district.
Ten liquor outlets may face prosecution after being caught selling alcohol to minors after a recent sting.
Police and the Northland District Health Board conducted the stings which involved under 18-year-olds attempting to buy alcohol from licensed premises.
Of the 14 outlets visited, 10 sold alcohol to the underage patrons.
One of the bars - The Port Arms - has since been closed down by the Whangarei District Liquor Licensing Agency after police opposed an application for a temporary licence for the pub's manageress Regina Halbert, mainly objecting to the suitability of the applicant.
The Advocate understands the decision may be under appeal but Ms Halbert did not return calls to confirm this.
Some bar owners have criticised the sting as entrapment but Mr Dimery said the accusation was focusing on police tactics rather than on the responsibility of licensees to ensure they did not serve alcohol to those under 18.
"Quite a few of our licensed premises have been caught in the CPOs. They prefer to concentrate on the police tactics rather than their responsibilities to make sure they are not selling to under 18s," Mr Dimery told Whangarei District Councillors last week.
"A special meeting had been called by the Port Arms Tavern suggesting entrapment.
"I make no apologies for the way we are doing this and we need to move quickly on those premises that aren't meeting (conditions of their liquor) licences."
He said as much as 80 percent of all crime is fuelled by alcohol and drug use.
Mr Dimery said during the CPOs a 16 or 17-year-old is sent into bars accompanied by a police or district health board representative. The youths go to the bar and ask for alcohol.
If they are served without identification being asked for the licensee could then be in trouble.
"Alcohol enforcement will continue to be a major focus for Whangarei police in the near future," he said.
"Our problem premises are a concern and we can look at all sorts of things (to bring them into line) such as their gaming machine licences or the hours they operate."
Mr Dimery said another concern was "groups" - believed to mean gangs - coming to the city to take over the running of a licensed premise.
If police did not act quickly that group could become entrenched in an area, he said.