South Derbyshire Licensees pass the test thanks to undercover Police Cadets

The Licensing Department at South Derbyshire District Council recently worked in partnership with the Police Licensing team and a group of Police Cadets to make sure local pubs and licenced premises are refusing the sale of alcohol to underage customers.

The activity, known as the ‘alcohol test purchase’ took place in April with 12 premises across the District, including pubs and shops licensed to sell alcohol.

All selected premises passed the test with flying colours; with every Cadet attempting to purchase alcohol being refused! This rarely happens and is a testament to the hard work of the Licensing team and the positive collaboration and compliance from local licensees.

Ardip Sandhu, Executive Director for Law and People at South Derbyshire District Council, said:

Our team works tirelessly with businesses to provide support, advice and guidance. We have a proactive inspection regime and all premises in South Derbyshire are inspected on a three-year rolling programme. 

When you carry out an operation like this, it makes all the hard work worth it. And this isn’t an expected result, it’s quite unusual to get 100% refusals, which is a real testament to the team’s efforts.

We of course have to thank the Cadets, without whom this sort of random testing would not be possible.

Licensing Inspector, Daniel Handley-Farrel of Derbyshire Police, said:

This operation not only highlighted the commitment of local authorities and police to maintaining public safety, but also served as a valuable training experience for the police cadets involved. Their participation was instrumental in the success of the operation, demonstrating the importance of community engagement in upholding licensing standards.

We extend our gratitude to all involved for their hard work and dedication. Together, we continue to strive for a safer and more responsible community.

30 April 2025