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Aftab Ali
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TRAPPED!
Steve Hammond27/ 4/2007
ASIAN traders are being victimised in a campaign to curb underaged drinking it has been claimed.
In some cases Asian shopkeepers are being tested up to five times
by youngsters acting for trading standards officers.
Even if they refuse to sell the child alcohol on several occasions
the secret tests are repeated in the hope or expectation that the
shopkeeper concerned will eventually be caught.
Critics have dubbed these methods as "blatant entrapment".
Lawyer Richard Williams of Manchester-based Licencing Legal
Solicitors has recently highlighted a case involving Salford
licensed grocer Aftab Ali.
Mr Ali was threatened with losing his licence after selling alcohol
to an under-aged drinker at his shop on Braddan Road Salford.
But under questioning at a licencing panel hearing a trading
standards officer revealed that before this lapse Mr Ali had been
tested no less than five times over a 12 month period and had
upheld the law each time.
The panel also heard that adults were buying alcohol for youth
congregating outside Mr Ali's shop.
Said Mr Williams: "Traders like Mr Ali are under horrendous
pressure.
"They suffer threats, abuse and racism from gangs demanding drink.
I am dealing with a case now where an adult was actually beaten up
by youths for refusing to buy them drinks.
"The Home Office is encouraging a campaign against under-age
drinking because of the anti-social behaviour it causes.
"But trading standards sometime take a very negative approach. If
they test a trader several times and he upholds the law they don't
go to him and say well done, they carry on testing.
"There are rogue traders of course but most shopkeepers are hard
working people, providing a service to the community often in very
difficult areas. "They do not have the training and security
resources of the big supermarkets."
The deputy editor of Asian Trader magazine Howard Robin said secret
testing had become a "huge issue" for Asian traders.
"Constant testing is tantamount to blatant entrapment.
"This is a very controversial practice. Up until recently in
Scotland it was illegal.
"This is a very controversial practice. Up until recently in
Scotland it was illegal.
"There is a problem of binge drinking but this is caused by the
availability of cheap alcoholic drinks often targeted at
youngsters.
The government have also made it easier for traders to get licenses to sell alcohol.
"There are greedy traders who break the law but they are in a small
minority.
"Most Asian traders want to serve the community and many are
plagued day and night by abusive racist youth. Most work hard and
would not dream of breaking the law and risk losing their licence
on which their livelihood may depend."
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
6/05/2007 at 21:35
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��oeO you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al`Ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols etc), and Al`Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan's (Satan's) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successfulâ€
9/05/2007 at 23:30