In the Prime Minister’s view, if people did not give money, the problem would disappear effectively and quickly within a matter of weeks.

He added there were indications the current wave of panhandling was organized, making it even more repulsive.

Finnish towns and cities have witnessed a proliferation of street beggars, mainly from Eastern Europe, over the past year. This spring has brought a new upsurge onto Finnish city streets, some of them behaving aggressively.

Earlier this week, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund set up a working party to examine whether legislative means could be found to ban street begging.