Challenge 25 Training Portal
Welcome to the RASG C25 training portal
This training is freely available and is applicable to any business that sells alcohol.
This training has no legal standing and is by no means exhaustive.
The material relates to selling alcohol and although the simplicity of the C25 scheme means that it can be applied to any age restricted product, RASG do not claim to have expertise in other age restricted products.
Adopting this training and the recommendations suggested in are a way to help demonstrate that ‘all reasonable precautions’ were taken and ‘all due diligence’ exercised to avoid committing an offence, if alcohol is sold to a minor.
While we encourage retailers to use this as part of your staff training, completing this does not confer immunity from enforcement action should offences be committed. Businesses must ensure that they are aware of all legal requirements expected of them when selling alcohol and other age restricted products.
1. Legislation around selling alcohol
Alcohol is an age restricted product i.e. you must be a minimum age to be able to buy this. The minimum age a person must be to buy alcohol is 18 years old.
It is a criminal offence:
- For any person to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18.
- For a person to sell, or allow to sell, alcohol to a person who is drunk.
- For an adult to buy alcohol on behalf of a child.
In addition to this, all premises that sell alcohol must have an age verification policy in place which (as a minimum) requires people who appear to a person making a sale to be under 18 to produce, when asked, proof of their age.
Although not set out in law, when selling alcohol businesses must always consider the Licensing Objectives. The one that relates to underage sales is THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM HARM. A robust age verification policy, amongst other preventative measures is a must when trying to satisfy this objective.
2. Other age restricted products – For information
You need to be aware of the different age restricted products sold in store and the minimum age that a person must be to buy these.
For alcohol, the minimum age is 18. A list of the most common other age restricted products is provided below.
| Goods | Minimum Purchase Age |
|---|---|
| Aerosol Paint | 16 |
| Alcohol | 18 |
| Christmas Crackers | 12 |
| Knives / Axes / Blades | 18 |
| Lighter refills containing butane | 18 |
| Lottery draw-based and instant-win (such as scratch cards and online instant win) games | 18 |
| Nicotine Inhaling Products | 18 |
| Party poppers and similar low-hazard lo-noise fireworks (category F1) (except Christmas crackers) | 16 |
| Tobacco | 18 |
| Video Recordings | Age stipulated on product |
| Video games | Age stipulated on product |
3. Challenge 25
Challenge 25 is a retailing scheme that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry acceptable ID if they want to buy age restricted products. Although primarily created for alcohol Challenge 25 can be applied to any age restricted product.
In England and Wales, Challenge 25 is not a legal requirement. It is a widely recognised and voluntarily scheme adopted by many retailers to prevent underage sales being made.
The basic requirement of Challenge 25 is that all staff serving customers should ask for proof of age if they believe a customer is under 25, when buying alcohol or any other age restricted product.
NOTE: A person does not have to be over 25 to buy alcohol but proof of age should be requested from people that you think are under 25. If the ID provided shows the person to be at least 18, the sale can go ahead.
Managers must support staff when a challenge is made and must not overrule their decision to age check, even if a customer complains.
Once a request for proof of age has been made, this cannot be withdrawn.
If proof of age cannot be provided, a sale must not take place.
If a sale is refused, this must be recorded in line with the businesses policy – whether this be in paper from or digital.
5. Acceptable proof of age
When buying alcohol, proof of age must legally contain all the following:
- The persons photograph.
- Their date of birth.
- Either a holographic mark or an ultraviolet feature.
The requirement for proof of age to include a holographic mark or ultraviolet feature means that digital proof of age is not legally acceptable when buying alcohol. This is not the case for other age restricted products.
While individual businesses can decide what forms of ID they accept, the most accepted forms of ID include:
- a valid UK Driver’s Licence.
- a valid Passport.
- a PASS card.
6. Identifying fake ID
We recommend the following 5 steps to minimise the risk of accepting fake ID:
STEP 1: Check the photograph.
Ensure that the photograph is of the person presenting the card. The photograph must be printed directly onto the plastic of the card – NOT stuck on top of the plastic.
Step 2: CHECK THE DATE OF BIRTH
Calculate the age of the person from the date of birth.
The date of birth must be printed onto the plastic – NOT handwritten or stuck on top of the plastic.
Ensure the card has not been tampered with or altered (for example the printed dates have been altered using a pen or marker).
Step 3: CHECK THE DOCUMENT
Feel the card to identify whether anything has been stuck to the card.
Check for security features on a driving licence, such as raised text and an image that changes when the card is tilted to ensure it is genuine.
Only accept cards that have the expected security features.
Step 4: CHECK THE PASS HOLOGRAM (IF NOT A PASSPORT OR DRIVING LICENCE)
Look for the 3D effect in the background of the hologram. Make sure it has the characteristic tick on the ‘A’ in the PASS lettering.
The hologram must be flush with the plastic of the card – NOT stuck on top of the plastic.
Step 5: CHECK THE PERSON
If you are still unsure about a person’s age, your legal responsibility is to refuse to sell.
7. Other prohibited sales
Proxy sales
A proxy sale is where an adult attempts to buy alcohol on behalf of a minor. It is an offence to supply alcohol to a minor via proxy sales.
C25 should be applied in situations where you think a proxy sale may be taking place.
If you believe that an adult is making a purchase on behalf of a minor and that minor is with the adult, the sale must not take place unless all people at the checkout can prove their age.
If you believe that an adult is making a purchase on behalf of a minor, but no minor is present at the checkout, the sale must not take place.
If a group of people approach a checkout to buy alcohol, if any of the look under 25, the whole group must produce proof of age for the sale to go ahead. If the whole party cannot produce proof of age, the sale cannot go ahead.
Not all adults that are with minors will be making proxy purchases and so common sense must be applied. You must consider factors such as the relationship between the person buying alcohol and the person with them, the time of day and the products being purchased. If unsure, do not make the sale.
Sales to people who are drunk
It is an offence to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk, whether they are over 18 or not. If you believe a person is drunk when trying to buy alcohol, the sale must not take place.