The police handed out 22,000 fines last year to people caught without identity papers, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

In 2005, when the new law requiring everyone aged 14 and over to carry ID was introduced, 58,000 fines were given.
The law states that police cannot randomly ask for ID, so most fines were coupled with tickets for cycling without proper lights, public urination and other minor offences, the paper says.