Summer 2018 round-up Retailers on front line in fight against offensive weapons Concern about knife crime and the rise in acid attacks has very much been in the UK news in recent months. round-up The government has said it will take action to reduce the availability of dangerous weapons particularly to people under the age of 18 and, last autumn, it consulted on proposed changes that may affect high street and online retailers. On 9 April this year, the Serious Violence Strategy was published, outlining further detail and plans for an Offensive Weapons Bill. While we await the draft legislation, this article summarises its probable impact on retailers of knives and corrosive substances, often referred to as acid in the media. There are plans to expand the list of banned knives and similar weapons, and make it illegal to supply these items to anyone, of any age. Online sellers will be prohibited from delivering knives directly to a private residential address. Instead, goods will have to go to a business address where the age and identity of the purchaser can be checked. This may be a Post Office branch or similar parcel-handling business. There will also be a ban on the sale of certain corrosive substances to anyone under the age of 18. A list of substances, and their levels of concentration, will help retailers to know what can be supplied safely and legally. to implement adequate precautions to prevent sales to under-18s. Other businesses, meanwhile, have no experience of dealing with such legislation and checking the age of buyers. Trading standards officers have worked with retailers for many years to help with this issue and have developed Challenge 25. Under this scheme, sales staff should challenge anyone who appears to be under 25 to prove their age using a photo driving licence, passport or PASS-approved ageverification card. PASS is a national scheme that validates such cards to ensure you can rely on their authenticity. It is not sufficient to ask a person their age because they will not necessarily tell the truth. All staff must be trained in age-verification procedures, and this training should be refreshed at regular intervals. Retailers should also keep records of the training provided, so that this can be produced in the event of something going wrong. Many retailers keep a refusals book to demonstrate that age checks are carried out and managers can use this to see the colleagues who have not made a refusal, which could identify a training need. In recent years, online retailers have struggled Posters for Challenge25 are available online, while Trading Standards Officers are happy to give advice to retailers. The Business Companion website also has a guide to underage sales. Credit: Brandon Cook iStock.com / Lovattpics Business matters round-up Trading Standards is committed to making it easier for businesses to comply with the law and Trading Standards Business News (TSBN) is one of the ways it is doing just that. Formerly called Trading Standards News, this publication focuses on topics that are relevant to people running businesses, and aims to help them operate safely and efficiently while staying within the law. If you are viewing this edition on a web browser, you can download the TSBN app for Apple, Android and Amazon devices. Aware of crime? Report it anonymously to Trading Standards The level playing field that nurtures and promotes economic growth and development for businesses, locally and nationally, is maintained by Trading Standards. It partly does this by offering advice and assistance to honest and legitimate traders who request guidance on legislation, and by assisting those traders who lose their way in the world of Trading Standards and need a little help to become compliant. Where businesses choose to trade outside the law and ignore the advice and guidance given, Trading Standards tackles them by using appropriate enforcement action. A lack of willingness and cooperation to comply with trading law and any engagement in criminal activity undermines and harms legitimate trade. This inevitably leads to honest businesses being disadvantaged and having to compete against traders who offer inferior goods and services. To survive, the honest business may be forced to lower its standards or its quality of product, resulting in unsatisfied consumers. Left unchecked, this leads to a loss in consumer confidence, and has resulted in certain trade sectors being mistrusted. By working with Trading Standards, legitimate businesses that believe their sector is being damaged and undermined by unscrupulous traders, can now help focus and target Trading Standards resources, and reduce the harm being inflicted upon their profession. Those who believe their professions reputation is being damaged and undermined by illegitimate traders working outside the law, can now report people engaged in such activitiesvia the anonymous, automated hotline 0300 303 2636, or by using the online reporting system. Working together to rid professions of unlawful traders will result in better reputations for these sectors, and improve consumer confidence and trust. This will, in turn, encourage growth in trade and economic development, both locally and nationally. Report foul play to create a level playing field for all. Credit: Brandon Cook For further information please contact your local Trading Standards Service