Security stewarding

Police vehicles are not taxis, and the police are not a transport service. However, if a person is so intoxicated that they are unable to take care of themselves, the police have a duty to ensure that they are safe. In these situations, the police would always rather drive the person home than to police detention or hospital, if this is possible in view of the distance, the condition of the person or other police duties.

Try to check the person’s state of health if you can, and call the emergency number 112 if necessary. However, please remember that public intoxication is not a crime, and there is nothing to prohibit someone from lying down on a park bench if it is summer and warm, for example. In the winter, things can be very different. In sub-zero temperatures, a person sleeping on a park bench is obviously at risk of freezing to death.

You should bring up the issue with your neighbour first, because he/she may not know about the barking when away from home. If this has no effect, you can contact, for example, the property manager. If this is also without effect, you can even call the police. 

You should bring up the issue with your neighbour first and talk about walking the dog. If this has no effect, you may phone the police about the issue. 

According to the Public Order Act, dogs must be kept on a leash in urban areas, but this does not apply outside urban areas or on private properties within urban areas, such as the gardens of detached houses. Nevertheless, even on private property a dog must not be left unattended so that it can escape. In an urban area, dogs may be let off the leash in designated fenced areas (dog parks).

Outside urban areas, exercising dogs is subject to the Hunting Act. The Hunting Act specifies that dogs must be kept on a leash, or it must be possible to put them on a leash immediately, between 1 March and 19 August. The above does not apply to dogs younger than five months, dogs used in official duties, or dogs in the yard or garden of a private landowner. A dog must never be let off the leash on the private property of another person, unless the dogowner has permission to do so from the landowner or the holder the right to hunt.

There is no specific prohibition on letting cats roam free in the Public Order Act or in any other legislation. However, the Public Order Act does require catowners to ensure that their freely roaming cat does not enter neighbours’ private property or any locations specifically listed in the Public Order Act, such as public beaches, exercise tracks or children’s playgrounds.

There are no rules for keeping cats on a leash as there are for dogs. However, cats may not be let out without supervision either in or outside urban areas. This is provided for in the Public Order Act and also in the Animal Welfare Act.

Generally, the police will ask the person making the notification whether they themselves have gone to the neighbour to complain about the noise. The police may phone the occupant of the dwelling in question and inform them that they are making too much noise. As a last resort, the police will visit the site and, if necessary, order the party to end on the basis of the Police Act if the noise is disturbing the domestic peace of other residents.

A police prison, or police holding facility, is commonly referred to as jail. A police prison is a place where the police keep people detained for various reasons. 

Most of the people that the police detain are either incapable of looking after themselves or have disturbed or endangered public order and safety. The police also detain persons suspected of committing an offence. 
The detention period depends on why the person has been detained. An intoxicated person may be held for 12 hours, while a person detained for a breach of the peace may be held for up to 24 hours. However, no person may be detained for any longer than necessary.

You can call the emergency number 112 and report the noise to the police. Noisy activities can also be reported to the municipal environmental protection authorities.