Finnish tourists robbed by police patrols in St. Petersburg
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There have been increasing reports in recent months of Russian militia, or police, robbing Finnish tourists on the streets of St. Petersburg. In some cases individual Finns have lost hundreds of euros.
"We have learned of more than ten cases, but this is certainly only part of the truth. Many victims just lick their wounds in silence, because they do not want to reveal what parts of the city they were in at night", says Pekka Sailio, St. Petersburg liaison of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
He estimates that Finns robbed by rogue police patrols in recent months may number in the dozens.
The diplomatic missions of Finland, Sweden, Germany, and The Netherlands complained about the situation to local officials in the autumn of 2003, after which matters improved.somewhat. However, the Finnish Consulate-General learned of another surge in robberies by police last autumn.
"Before the autumn there was a long break, during which time we did not get any reports of any such crimes. During the winter we have learned of numerous cases."
Sailio is scheduled to meet with police administrators this week to discuss the problem. He says that he hopes that all victims of these kinds of shakedowns will file a criminal complaint with the authorities, and bring the matter to the attention of the Consulate-General.
Reporting such crimes would give Finnish diplomats some evidence to back up their claims when they are in contact with local officials. He says that the top brass of the police take a very serious attitude toward illegal activities committed by St. Petersburg police officers, most of whom do their job well.
The most recent case to come to the attention of the Consulate-General occurred on Thursday night last week, when a group of four Finns were robbed twice by two separate police patrols while walking to their hotel from a restaurant.
In early March, militia members took several hundred euros from a businessman during the night on the Nevskiy Prospekt - the main thoroughfare of St. Petersburg.
Pekka Sailio says that the uniformed police involved in the shakedowns would seem to be off-duty officers; previously the perpetrators committed the robberies while on duty.
The modus operandi of the rogue officers is to ask foreigners walking on the street at night to show their travel documents. When the papers are shown, the victims, who are often intoxicated at the time, are robbed of their money and mobile phones.
"Many do not even notice what is happening. Typically they will lose between 200 and 400 euros in cash. It is incredible that people will carry such large amounts of money in spite of all the warnings", Sailio says.
Finns are not the only foreign victims of the robber police. Sometimes traffic police will stop local motorists and demand 100 - 200 roubles (EUR 3-6) before they are allowed to continue their journey.
Sailio emphasises that St. Petersburg is a safe city for travellers who take precautions. He recommends avoiding walking on the streets alone at night, especially after drinking.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 4.4.2005 - TODAY |
 Finnish tourists robbed by police patrols in St. Petersburg
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