A campaign warning adults not to buy alcohol for under-18s will return across Scotland from 29 June to 10 August.
‘It’ll Cost You’ is rolling out in communities across the country at the start of the school holidays and will be fronted by Police Scotland with support from convenience stores, supermarkets and alcohol companies.
The campaign is designed to tackle proxy purchasing, where adults buy alcohol for children, which is linked to underage drinking, street disorder, antisocial behaviour, crime and violence in local communities. People caught buying alcohol for someone under 18 could face a fine of up to £5,000, up to three months in prison, or both.
Police Scotland is working with retailers of all sizes and alcohol firms to raise awareness of the consequences of proxy purchasing. The campaign is a collaboration between Police Scotland, the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership and Community Alcohol Partnerships, with SGF chairing the steering group.
Campaign materials will be shared online and across social media during the summer. Previous evaluations have shown awareness of the consequences of supplying alcohol to minors has risen since the campaign launched, but police still recorded detections across Scotland during last year’s activity.
Luke McGarty, Chair of the SAIP Campaigns Group and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish Grocers Federation, said retailers were determined to stop underage drinking and anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol.
“Our members are robust in ensuring that under-18s can’t buy alcohol from their stores, so our communities need to support these efforts and be aware of the consequences of proxy purchasing,” he said.
“The ‘It’ll Cost You!’ campaign fits perfectly with SGF’s position of promoting responsible community retailing. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners on the campaign again this year.”
