2011-03-07
Categoriesrants
It is wonderful to have the right to speak out, but it is a shame people then have the right not to reply.
I was outraged after not being able to buy a pint at a meal, and this prompted me to right an open letter to our local newspaper.
It was published, and I promptly received no response. It has now been over two months (nearly 3) since the letter's publication, so I presume I will be getting none.
Below is a copy of the letter for my archive purposes, and for anybody that cares to read my rants, and some links for references. And if anybody who has any say in these matters stumbles across this, I would be thrilled to hear your response.
Another Logical Move
It is with interest I read your article in the Guernsey press on 08/12/2010 explaining that Guernsey police were recommending that establishments no longer accept driving licences as a form of identification. They instead recommend the Citizen Card.
I experienced this myself at an establishment on a recent Friday night out where, despite being 19 years old and carrying my full driving licence (which has sufficed as proof of age for the last 18 months) I was unable to order a pint with my meal, after being told that this was not sufficient proof of age. This prompted me to have a quick look at the application procedure for a Citizen card, which to the barman helpfully told me was to replace driving licences as suitable proof of ID in pubs and clubs going forward.
The process is quite simple; firstly you must take a photo of yourself to a “verifier”, who will certify it is a true likeness of you. The next step for the verifier is to, and I quote,” Check the details on the applicant’s original ID which must be one of the following: • passport • photo driving licence • national identity card • card containing PASS hologram”.
Yes, that is correct; the procedure for application actually cites a “photo driving licence” as a suitable form of identification for comparative purposes - the very identification they are saying is unsuitable for proof of age. So if a driving licence with a fraudulent DOB was shown to the “verifier”, then it would be checked, there would be no reason to doubt it, and it would be placed on the Citizen card.
If somebody has provided fraudulent details to obtain identification in the form of a driving licence, I don’t think they will be hesitant to do it again with a Citizen Card.
Tristan Knight ***** **** **** ***** Guernsey
Please withhold my address, however if you wish you may publish my email and name.
Please note, they changed the title that it was posted under. I can't recall what it was posted under.