Students tackle underage drinking

The posters have been put up in off licences and shops across the Wakefield district as a reminder to not buy or sell booze to underage drinkers.

The young artists were asked to come up with their best creations as part of an initiative by the district’s neighbourhood police teams to encourage young people to think about alcohol and the effects it can have on them.

It is aimed at reducing related anti-social behaviour and reminding retailers to check ID of those who appear to be underage.

PC Richard Baker, from Castleford neighbourhood policing team, said: “I want to thank students at Castleford Academy for their efforts in helping design posters and allowing us to take them out and display them around the town.

“Underage drinking is one of the key causes of anti-social behaviour among young people and we want to get the message out that we will be doing all we can to discourage it.

“Generally speaking we do find local businesses supportive of attempts to make sure alcohol stays away from young people, and we want to ensure everyone remains vigilant.

“However it is not just retailers that we are targeting with this awareness campaign.

“All adults need to be aware that buying alcohol for a young person is a criminal offence and anyone caught doing so can face an on the spot £80 fine or further action.”