Police hire container to detain drunk skiers
Police in Värmland in western Sweden have announced plans to hire a custom-made freight container to house drunk skiers and rowdy youths while they sober up.
The Swedish National Police Board has given special dispensation for the container which will take care of those misbehaving at the alpine facility in Branäs in northern Värmland, reports local newspaper Värmlands Folkblad (VF).
Police plan to rent the container from a car club in nearby Höljes. The club uses the container in the summers for housing inebriated rally cross enthusiasts during the European championship week.
The container will be located in a fenced-off area at a garage owned by the National Road Administration (Vägverket) just five kilometres from the ski hill, enabling police to take a tougher line with unruly skiers.
"We are going to increase our presence in Branäs and will lower the threshold for an arrest. We are probably the first in Sweden to do this," said Peter Åkerström at Värmland's police to VF.
Currently the closest cell available for the detainment of tipsy tourists is in Karlstad, a two and a half hour round trip which uses up limited police resources.
"Branäs is located a bit out of the way. People go there to party and have fun. It is probably not quite as fun to wake up in a detention container," warned Åkerström.
Accommodation in the small red container is not however devoid of creature comforts for sobering skiers and is equipped with ventilation, a simple drainage system and a hole in the middle of the floor where overnight inmates will be able to perform their ablutions.
The safety of the detainees has also been taken into account and the container will be furnished with fire-proofed mattresses for rest and recuperation and equipped with an inspection window.
Police will make use of the facility until the Branäs alpine area closes after the Easter weekend.
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The Swedish National Police Board has given special dispensation for the container which will take care of those misbehaving at the alpine facility in Branäs in northern Värmland, reports local newspaper Värmlands Folkblad (VF).
Police plan to rent the container from a car club in nearby Höljes. The club uses the container in the summers for housing inebriated rally cross enthusiasts during the European championship week.
The container will be located in a fenced-off area at a garage owned by the National Road Administration (Vägverket) just five kilometres from the ski hill, enabling police to take a tougher line with unruly skiers.
"We are going to increase our presence in Branäs and will lower the threshold for an arrest. We are probably the first in Sweden to do this," said Peter Åkerström at Värmland's police to VF.
Currently the closest cell available for the detainment of tipsy tourists is in Karlstad, a two and a half hour round trip which uses up limited police resources.
"Branäs is located a bit out of the way. People go there to party and have fun. It is probably not quite as fun to wake up in a detention container," warned Åkerström.
Accommodation in the small red container is not however devoid of creature comforts for sobering skiers and is equipped with ventilation, a simple drainage system and a hole in the middle of the floor where overnight inmates will be able to perform their ablutions.
The safety of the detainees has also been taken into account and the container will be furnished with fire-proofed mattresses for rest and recuperation and equipped with an inspection window.
Police will make use of the facility until the Branäs alpine area closes after the Easter weekend.
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