Kaisaniemi Park second most feared place in central Helsinki

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According to many reports, the Kaisaniemi Park is one of the most feared places in central Helsinki. The latest survey conducted in April was commissioned by the City of Helsinki, the downtown businesses and residents, and the police.
      In excess of 6,500 respondents named Kaisaniemi as the second most feared place in central Helsinki, right after the Central Railway Station.
     
Though the fear itself is real, based on facts it is rather out of proportion. According to Chief Inspector Pekka Hööki from the central police district, in the light of the crime statistics Kaisaniemi is merely a park among parks.
      From the beginning of 2005, 443 offences have taken place in Kaisaniemi - in other words, three per week on average. In Helsinki this is an average number for any area where large public events are organised.
      The statistics include all offences, from petty larceny to traffic violations.
      What is essential is that fear affects people’s behaviour. Kaisaniemi generates fears among the public after dark, but why?
     
A couple of years ago certain youth of foreign background committed several muggings and assaults around the Central Railway Station area. Many of the attacks actually took place in Kaisaniemi.
      Furthermore, because of a few incidents, Kaisaniemi has been branded in the public mind as a "park of rapists".
      Kaisaniemi’s bad reputation dates back about one hundred years. "When well-off farmers used to come to go out on the tiles in Helsinki, they were sometimes lured into the park to be robbed there", explains researcher Marja Pehkonen from the Helsinki City Museum.
     
Today, in addition to its gloomy history, the park's notoriety is exacerbated by the darkness of the place.
      The respondents to the survey all wished that the park were more brightly lit.
      Furthermore, the lack of visibility is a major problem. The park has bushes and shrubs behind which it is easy to hide.
      Also, Kaisaniemi suffers from anonymity. Activities by local residents should be encouraged there. “A dog park might be a good starting point”, says Mikko Virkamäki, who produced the survey.
      "The fact that the park is not resident-friendly simply reflects bad city policies."
      The police do advise a certain caution when going through the dimly-lit park, especially late at night at weekends.
      One would expect better from a prominent park in the heart of the nation’s capital.


Links:
  Kaisaniemi on the map. The park is immediately to the east of the main railway station.

Helsingin Sanomat