Finnish drink habits have been adopted by refugees: police

Some refugees in Finland seem to have adopted Finnish way of drinking and the consumption of alcohol is often associated with skirmishes in refugee centers, local media reported on Wednesday.

The police told national broadcaster Yle that the need for police intervention in the Hennala refugee centre in Lahti, central Finland, has increased since its opening in late summer.

Initially police was called in to calm down quarrels between asylum seekers around twice a week, but now the number of calls per week is around six, and sometimes more than once in a day.

Senior police officer Pekka Kokkonen said: "Some asylum seekers seem to have picked up the Finnish way of drinking already." The concept refers to the traditional view that Finns drink to get intoxicated, not just socially.

One skirmish in Hennala has led to a criminal investigation, the rest were handled through negotiations.

Asylum seekers receive a per diem. If food is served, the compensation is less.

Yle calculated that a family of two parents and three children would receive just a little less than 1,300 euros (1,210 U.S. dollars) per month. Additional sums could be given for major purchases such as clothing.

Inhabitants can freely visit local shops. When a large refugee centre opened in Tornio, local shop keepers said beer and prepaid simcards were best selling articles.

A kiosk owner said it had been difficult to explain that law prohibits sales of alcohol after 9 p.m. local time in kiosks and shops. Enditem