Your Compliance Doesn’t End at Checkout—Here’s Why

Your Compliance Doesn’t End at Checkout—Here’s Why

When 17yearold Axel Rudakubana purchased a kitchen knife online and it was delivered to his home without an ID check, he went on to commit a tragic mass stabbing in Southport—killing three children at a TaylorSwift themed dance class. This wasn’t an isolated failure of the seller - it was a systemic collapse of checks and balances in agerestricted product delivery. 

With the Crime and Policing Bill now in force, that collapse isn’t just on the delivery courier—it’s on the retailer too.

What’s Changed: The Crime and Policing Bill & “Ronan’s Law”

Under Ronan’s Law, a new dimension of retailer liability is introduced:

• Mandatory two step age verification: sellers must collect photo ID at purchase and ensure delivery drivers carry out ID checks on receipt 
• Reporting obligations: suspicious bulk orders (such as 300 knives at a time) now need to be reported to police
• Corporate liability expanded: failing to implement these measures could result in retailers and senior managers facing criminal charges—even prison for up to 2 years in severe cases 

Real Failures, Real Consequences

These incidents aren’t hypothetical:

According to the report, the most sought-after experiences include:

• Knife delivery to minors: Axel evaded the delivery company’s controls; the driver handed it to an adult without ID check—it was that easy.
• Acid attacks: Online acid deliveries have been linked to violent assaults where couriers failed to challenge recipients or check age.
• Home delivery failures: Audits conducted by Serve Legal have revealed age verification delivery audits only have a pass rate of 52% pass rate so far in 2025.

Why Retailers Must Act Now

• Shared liability: Regardless of using thirdparty couriers, if a delivery fails, you can be fined or even criminally charged under corporate criminal responsibility reforms.
• Reputational risk: Imagine headlines like “Retailer X sold a lethal weapon to a child.” That’s worse than any data breach.
• Regulatory focus: Trading Standards and police are ramping up enforcement budgets and targeting online delivery systems.

How You Can Protect Your Business

1. Audit your delivery partners
   • Ensure their tech (ID scanners, video checks) integrates with your systems.
   • Demand transparency: logs, refusal reasons, and driver compliance rates.
2. Implement frequent mystery‑shop tests
   • Simulate age‑restricted orders and assess whether proper checks are exercised on delivery.
3. Enforce contracts and SLAs
   • Include clear age verification and refusal protocols.
   • Use penalties for non‑compliance or require insurance coverage.
4. Partner with Serve Legal
   • We provide independent audits specifically designed for these new legal obligations.
   • Our reports identify delivery compliance gaps—most retailers are surprised by what they find.
   • We help you build stronger SLAs, robust data dashboards, and defence-ready evidence.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

The new Crime and Policing Bill doesn’t just target criminals—it targets businesses and decision-makers who enabled failures. A single delivery you didn’t audit could land you in court.

Act now. Ensure your delivery partners are properly trained, tracked, and transparent. If you’re not completely confident, contact Serve Legal today. We’ll tailor an audit process to your supply chain and help you develop a watertight compliance strategy—before legislation catches up.