OFF-LICENCES in the city centre could be set to ban under-25s from buying alcohol without ID under new proposals being considered.

Store owners in central Edinburgh are being signed up to the Safer Off-Sales (SOS) scheme in a bid to curb binge drinking and antisocial behaviour.

The 76 retailers located in the city centre are expected to join together to ensure anyone purchasing alcohol from their premises must show ID if they look under-21.

But police chiefs are encouraging the businesses to check identification for under-25s in an effort to stop youths getting drink.

Alcohol campaigners today backed the idea of introducing an over-25s policy. The SOS scheme, launched yesterday, will see the owners band together in a self-regulating body which would also have the power to ban problem customers from stores.

The scheme is similar to the Unight programme set up last year by the city's 36 nightclubs. It is estimated that 65 per cent of weekend calls to police between 8pm and 4am are alcohol related, and 40 per cent of calls on week days.

Inspector Bruce Johnstone, sector inspector for the city centre, said: "We need to promote sensible drinking in Edinburgh as part of a drive to change the alcohol culture in Scotland.

"We want to work with off-licences to ensure that this can happen.

"This is about licensees taking social responsibility for what they sell.

"They might make 20p profit from selling a bottle of cider to a street drinker, but a few hundred yards away from the store this can lead to antisocial behaviour.

"People buying bottles of wine, vodka or cider every day often need and want help. They don't need shopkeepers handing over drink to them without asking why.

"This scheme is being run by the licensees, the police are simply giving them information. But I would like to see them adopting the under-25 policy for alcohol sales. I think it could happen."

Pc Mark Pickavance, the force's SOS co-ordinator, said: "The amount of off-sales of alcohol is increasing. We want the scheme to become an industry standard. Unight has been very successful and we think this could do the same kind of good work."

The police want off-sales to run a strict ID policy to keep alcohol out of the hands of youths while officers focus their attention on catching "agent sales" where adults buy drink for under-18s.

Officers also want licensees to report these "proxy buyers" whose images could be caught on security cameras.

Andrew Donaldson, manager of Nicholas off-licence in George Street, said: "Hopefully this scheme will allow us to deal effectively with problem customers who move from one shop to the next. We've run a Challenge 21 ID scheme for some time and it has been effective.

"We would be happy to move to an under-25 policy too."

But another shopkeeper raised concerns about how easy it would be to keep out banned troublemakers.

Naushad Mohammed, manager of the Tollcross Newsagents in Bread Street, said: "We are going to join the scheme but I'm worried that if banned people come into the shop it will be simpler to sell them the alcohol and get them out quickly rather than face trouble.

"We will need support from the police to enforce it."

Readers comments

Previous Tollcross Articles
Permit talks put brakes on drive to target gas guzzlers
Shandwick Place set to reopen
No bells and no whistles for 'father of firefighting'