Pressure upped on teenage drunks

Special undercover inspectors are to be used to monitor cafes and bars for teenage drinkers, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday.


The under-16s caught with alcohol will face on-the-spot fines and will be handed over to the police, the paper says. The government is planning to make under-age drinking a criminal offence.
Cafes and bars supplying alcohol to youngsters will also face heavier fines.

Ambulances

Meanwhile, Amsterdam’s mayor Eberhard van der Laan wants to make drunken party-goers liable for the cost of ferrying them to hospital by ambulance.
‘Alcohol abuse by youngsters is becoming a big problem,’ the mayor’s spokesman told the Parool. ‘ Last Queen’s Day, ambulances were called out 575 times to pick up someone who was unconscious because they had drunk too much.’
The spokesman acknowledged a change in the law would probably be necessary to allow teenage drunks to be billed for the cost of the ambulance.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation