Test purchasing operations have been carried out this week in both the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda areas.

Carried out alongside licensing officers from the respective local authorities, and assisted by our Police Youth Volunteers (PYV), the operations aim to ensure off-licenses and other premises are complying with their licence conditions in terms of age-restricted products.

While this week’s visits focussed on the sale of alcohol, similar operations are often carried out in relation to other products, including knives and vapes.

PC Steve Moseley from Merthyr’s Community Safety Partnership, said: “Test purchasing involves sending a young person who is clearly under the age of 18, into a premises to attempt to purchase age-restricted products, on this occasion alcohol.

“On completion of the operation, it was great to see that there was no alcohol served to our volunteer and identification was requested on each occasion.

“This was great to see as we all have a part to play in preventing harm to children and clearly those businesses visited take that responsibility as seriously as we do.”