On Friday night, Brno Police Department launched the annual underage alcohol compliance check of Brno pubs, bars, and other public places called “Hazard, Alcohol and Children 2019”. Twenty local police officers were joined by the employees of South Moravian Fire department, Czech Trade Inspection Authority and the Regional Hygiene Authority of the South Moravian Region. Photos: Police CR.
Brno, Sep 3 (BD) – This year’s edition of the annual underage alcohol compliance check, police patrol officers were instructed to check on young people in public parks where they apparently come to drink more often than in restaurants. During the checks in Brno’s parks, the police identified eleven juveniles under the influence of alcohol.
According to the South Moravian Police Department spokesperson David Chaloupka, the “recordman” was a 16-year-old who had a blood alcohol concentration more than 1.3 per mille (parts per thousand); the other members of his group of friends had lower values. “Police are now investigating who provided the children with alcohol,” Chaloupka added.
For a long time, drinking alcohol has been a part of the Czech cultural environment and alcohol use by young people has been accepted by many as part of growing up and a rite of passage into adulthood. Children often encounter alcohol before the age of 15.
According to “European School Study on Alcohol and Other Drugs” (ESPAD 2015), up to 80% of adolescents perceive alcohol as very easily available. In the Czech Republic it is up to 90% of adolescents who consider alcohol easy to obtain for drinking purposes.
Get the news first! Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Top stories of the day in your mailbox every morning.
