A significant step towards the prosecution of non-registrants who contravene the Opticians Act has been taken by the General Optical Council (GOC) at its meeting in Harley Street on January 28.
At the moment no prosecutions are being conducted under the Opticians Act 1989 for any of the offences listed there.
With the aim of 'vigorously pursuing appropriate cases' under the act, the Council agreed that its protocol for the investigation and prosecution of suspected criminal offences should be revised.
David Howell, director of regulatory services for the GOC, explained that prosecutions were not conducted as a result of the complex procedures under the current protocol, the reluctance of the police to intervene and the lack of staff to deal with the issue.
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