Police say: Penalty caps hit engines Two Helsinki police officers interviewed by the Helsingin Snomet newspaper said they received a personal score of a hundred fines a year. According to the police, the so-called penalty cap has affected road control so that fines for traffic violations (liikennevirhemaksu) are now issued more willingly even in situations where the driver would have escaped with earlier warning. One of the officers cites the example of fines for using the phone while driving and not wearing a seat belt. Previously, in such cases, the driver would get away with a note, but now receiving a fine has become almost automatic. You can't just stick to getting punished by hand every time. For a small violation there should be an opportunity to make a response. It didn't go through any gate, the other policeman says. He recalled that the law on road traffic requires a minor traffic violation to issue a verbal or written warning instead of a fine. Helsinki police denies the existence of penalty quotas, but admits that it has set personal plans for the police on indicators to monitor. These include, among others, fines, suspension of driver's license, breath tests and road tests. The Police Department (Poliisihallitus) denies that it has set individual quotas for fines for police officers.