Underage drinking keeps Finnish authorities busy

 

The sale of alcohol to underage drinkers in spring is keeping police in Finland busy as they hand out fines to both the sellers and their young customers.

It is now the busiest time of year for police to enforce alcohol laws as bars start opening their terraces after the snow melts and the sun comes out.
Southern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency alcohol inspector Kimmo Temonen said their busiest time is when it starts to get warmer. He explained that as terraces are opened for the summer months and either changed or expanded, they experience an influx of underage drinkers.

School students drink more alcohol at this time of year and this peaks around the time schools break up for the summer holiday. Authorities have increased their surveillance as they look to catch the bars dealing to minors as well as the underagers drinking the alcohol.

Temonen explained that police warn shop owners and workers that they will be fined if they get caught dealing to minors. He acknowledged that they don’t have as much surveillance as they would like because they don’t have the time, noting that they catch just one or two illegal dealings during each surveillance operation.

Temonen also revealed that alcohol licenses have been revoked when no one on the premises has been in charge of selling alcohol.