Performance Reporting — Continued

Goal 7: Greater industry cooperation in reducing problems associated with liquor misuse

Objective	Strategy
Increase voluntary compliance within the industry	Increase inspections and investigations

Greater industry cooperation in reducing problems associated with liquor misuse is a key goal of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.

Achieving greater industry cooperation in reducing problems associated with liquor misuse is predicated on industry members' acknowledgement that with the privilege of holding a liquor licence and maintaining a livelihood by selling liquor, comes a legal responsibility to minimise harm to their liquor-consuming customers and any individual or community affected by the consumption of liquor in their establishments. British Columbia's liquor laws are designed to guide liquor licensees in the safe management of licensed establishments and the responsible service of liquor. Achieving the objective of increased voluntary compliance with B.C.'s liquor laws will indicate that industry understands the liquor regulatory framework and will cooperate on a broader scale to ensure that liquor misuse does not jeopardize the public safety of British Columbians.

Increasing inspections and investigations will increase the presence of enforcement staff in licensed establishments and at events where liquor is served. This increased presence will achieve several outcomes: it will raise the awareness among liquor licensees that their performance in complying with regulations is being monitored; it will provide professional advice and educational assistance to licensees who should improve their understanding and implementation of regulatory requirements; and it will facilitate cooperative efforts with local police, fire, health and other organizations interested in reducing harm caused by liquor misuse. Together, these results will lead to improved voluntary compliance within the industry.

Performance Measure	2001/02 Actual	2002/03 Target	2002/03 Actual
Number of inspections	12,680	14,000	12,604 (estimate)  Target delayed

The number of inspections conducted is a direct indicator of achievement of the strategy of increasing inspections and investigations and an indirect indicator of progress toward the goal of greater industry cooperation in reducing problems associated with liquor misuse.

The target established for 2002/03 was to increase the number of inspections from the 2001/02 baseline of 12,680 inspections per fiscal year to 14,000 inspections. The target was not met but performance was sustained; an estimated 12,604 inspections were conducted in 2002/03.¹⁰

The delay in increasing the number of inspections to the target level resulted from a delay in the redistribution of licensing duties from inspectors to licensing staff. As a result of this delay, fewer inspection resources were available to complete inspections than were originally forecast. It is anticipated that inspections will increase in number over the 2003/04 fiscal year.

10	This number includes the total number of inspection resources attending establishments, including cases where multiple inspectors participate in one inspection. The data source used to arrive at this estimate is POSSE, a new data system used by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch. Because POSSE is still in the implementation phase, data conversion errors may be discovered at a later date.