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2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
2.1 AIM OF THE EVALUATION
The main aim of the research was to review the operation of the test purchasing pilot in Fife in relation to the safety and suitability of the operating procedures, the impact of the initiative, the views of those involved, and whether the test purchasing of alcohol could be effective in reducing under-age sales, while protecting the safety of the young people involved in the scheme and taking cognisance of the views of the licensed sector.
The evaluation also addressed whether or not the procedures in place worked or whether they needed to be adapted for future test purchasing exercises. It should be noted that an overall assessment of the impact of the test purchase on the consumption of alcohol by under 18s in Fife was not within the scope of the research. However, key stakeholders were asked for their views related to the impact of the pilot on alcohol consumption levels of young people, as well as instances of drink related anti-social behaviour.
2.2 EVALUATION OBJECTIVES
The detailed objectives of the evaluation were to:
- Examine the results of the test purchasing exercises after analysing the data obtained by Fife Police to gauge the effect of the exercise in terms of the number of test purchase visits, the nature of the premises targeted, the number of sales made, etc.
- Gather the views of licensees in Fife at three different phases: baseline, (June 2006) impact (late 2006) and outcome (April 2007); about their practice in relation to selling to young people, their views and practice in relation to proof of age schemes, their perceptions of test purchasing in principle and their perceptions of the pilot as a whole.
- Gather the views of the young people involved in the test purchasing exercise to see what participation has meant to them, for example, if the experience has been enjoyable or distressing, anxiety provoking or not; and their parents or guardians to find out their perceptions of their children's participation and whether they would be happy for them to take part in similar work again.
- Gather the views of police officers involved in the pilot concerning the actual practice of licensees in relation to selling to young people, their perceptions of test purchasing, their perceptions of the training offered and how well it operated in practice and any difficulties encountered, their perceptions of its reception and impact on licensees, and their recommendations for future test purchasing exercises.
- Elicit the views of Procurators Fiscal in the pilot area, to ascertain their views of the pilot exercise, its perceived impact on the courts' and Licensing Boards workload, etc.
- Gather the views from the Licensing Board, community councils and Fife DAAT in the pilot area on the perceived impact of the pilot on drinking related crime/anti-social behaviour, etc.
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