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6. CONCLUSIONS
The Fife alcohol test purchase pilot progressed very smoothly and with few difficulties. At outcome there was evidence that there is a greater level of support for alcohol test purchasing to be adopted than was the case for tobacco test purchasing during a previous pilot, with a majority of licensees arguing that test purchasing should be implemented more widely, although in combination with a robust national proof of age card scheme, and other measures such as increased surveillance by police and education of retail staff. It is important to note that there was little support for either the status quo or for alcohol test purchasing to be implemented in isolation. It should also be noted that the volunteers enjoyed participating in the pilot and all were wiling to take part in future test purchasing activities.
Although the pilot was viewed as being very successful other issues arose which might need to be addressed in the future. It was stated that the pilot had resulted in an increased number of adults being asked to purchase alcohol by groups of young people outside retail outlets. Also, respondents claimed that a few licensees were taking advantage of the fact that test purchasers would admit their real age and would knowingly sell alcohol to young people if they said that they were 18 years old. Finally, the issue of young people having responsibility for the sale of alcohol with inadequate supervision was a cause of some concern, and suggestions were made that the laws concerning alcohol sales might have to be modified.
Therefore, at outcome the general consensus was that the pilot had operated as well as could have been expected, and according to many respondents it had even exceeded expectations. It is likely that the approach adopted in Fife, with licensees being informed of the pilot and offered advice and support after test purchases had taken place, was responsible for its smooth running and the favourable reaction from key interest groups. If other areas adopt a similar test purchasing system this pilot would suggest that there are few grounds for concern, and it is probable that a majority of key stakeholders including licensees, police and volunteers would be quite receptive to the wider implementation of alcohol test purchasing.
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