New powers aimed at tackling underage drinking have now come into effect. The powers were introduced by the Policing and Crime Act 2009.   They include:

• making it an new offence for under-18s to persistently possess alcohol in a public place
• extending the police’s powers to issue ‘directions to leave’ to include young people aged 10-15
• amending police powers with regard to the confiscation of alcohol, so that they no longer need to prove that the individual ‘intended’ to consume it
• changing the offence of persistently selling alcohol to under 18s from three strikes within three months to two strikes in the same period 

More information is available on the Home Office website.