Police in Helsinki have begun handing out fines to people they catch buying sex services in public places. Five Finnish men have recently been given fines of EUR 50 under the new law on public order which came into effect in October last year.

   

The law makes it illegal to buy or sell sex on the street, in restaurants, or in other public places.

   

"All of the cases that have led to a fine so far have taken place on the street. We have monitored certain areas on 3 - 4 evenings a week, which has brought street prostitution well under control", says Reijo Muuri of the Helsinki police.

   

He says that enforcement of the law on public order has reduced the problem especially on Aleksis Kiven Katu, a street which has become notorious for conspicuous public prostitution.

   

Muuri says that the new law is more effective than the previous Helsinki city ordinance, which banned the public sale, but not the purchase of sex.

   

Nine women have been fined under the new law for soliciting in public, and three cases are going to trial, in which the women face charges also for other crimes.

Police have been careful to take detailed notes of the events leading up to an arrest, lest the case be thrown out for lack of evidence, as has happened in Sweden in a few cases.

   

Muuri explains what types of information is taken down: "How did the initial contact take place? How long did the two parties walk alone or together? Did the buyer circle the area in a car? "

   

Suspected buyers have usually been eager to open up to the police.

   

"If the man has a family, or is in an important position in society, he wants to put the situation behind him as soon as possible", Muuri points out.

In events leading up to an arrest, the police usually observe a situation from a distance. When a buyer and seller agree on a deal and get on the move, the police follow to see where they are going.

   

The police usually intervene when the man and woman reach a destination, such as an apartment house or hotel. After that the two are interviewed separately.

   

However, in some cases events have gone much further. On one occasion the police waited for 26 minutes as a prostitute and her customer took care of their business under a bridge. Both were fined.

The law on public order also applies to restaurants. However, the Helsinki police are not extending their surveillance there, even though the sex trade is quite open in some places.

   

Muuri says that the police are already overworked, and cannot spare the resources for restaurant surveillance.

   

Most of the fines related to prostitution that have been handed out under the new law on public order have been imposed in Helsinki.

   

For instance, the Tampere police have not yet fined any purchasers of sex.

   

"Prostitution has not become a problem in public places. Deals here are usually made over the Internet, by telephone, or through print advertisements", says Ilkka Laasanen of the Tampere police.