Hong Kong alcohol office puts extra 30 inspectors on streets as new rule banning sale of booze to under-18s comes into effect
- Friday marks start of new regulations outlawing sale of alcohol to under-18s
- Shopkeepers welcome law as they begin checking customers’ ID
The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office has put an extra 30 inspectors on Hong Kong’s streets to ensure retailers are enforcing the new law regulating the sale of booze to minors.
Officers will conduct random inspections in shops across the city, while shopkeepers have stepped up measures preventing children from buying alcohol after the new law took effect on Friday.
Customers will now be required to show identification proving they are aged 18 and above, and any retailer caught selling alcohol to minors risks being prosecuted.
Dr Jeff Lee Pui-man, the head of the office, said its staff will ensure retailers have a sign about new law displayed in a prominent location, and shopkeepers caught selling alcohol to under-18s would be prosecuted.
“If [the shopkeeper] is uncertain about the age of a customer, it is better for them not to sell any alcohol to them,” Lee said.