Police will spend this week visiting the quarter of businesses in North Otago that sold alcohol to minors during a sting operation.
Last Friday, with the help of Waitaki District Council liquor licensing officials, Public Health South and two 17-year-olds, police tested 20 licensed premises between Oamaru and Palmerston to see if they would sell alcohol to youths.
Five failed the test.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, called the results disappointing.
He would not name the premises that sold alcohol to the high school children, but said the operation visited supermarkets, bottle stores, cafes, bars and restaurants.
''Police will be speaking with the licensee and duty managers at those licensed premises.''
It was too early to say if fines would be issued or if outlets would lose licences because police had yet to establish background circumstances and premises' history.
''We know alcohol is a social lubricant, but it is a cause of a lot of harm in our community: we've got drink-driving; road trauma and road fatalities; assaults, both physical and sexual, with alcohol being a contributing factor.
''Licensees are in a privileged position and one of responsibility where they need to make sure at-risk groups aren't sold alcohol ...''
Under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 a licensee or manager of any licensed premises who sells or supplies alcohol, or allows alcohol to be sold or supplied, on or from the licensed premises to any person who is under the purchase age commits an offence and can face a fine of not more than $10,000; the suspension of the licensee's licence for a period of not more than seven days: in the case of a manager, a fine can be not more than $10,000.
