Railway station most frightening place in downtown Helsinki

Survey: Every second woman feels insecure on weekend evenings

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The most frightening places in downtown Helsinki are the main railway station and the Kaisaniemi Park. Troublemaking and harassment are regarded as the worst problems.
      On weekend evenings every second woman and every third man feel insecure in downtown Helsinki. Only on weekdays is the city centre reported to be safe.
      The information is based on a recent security survey involving interviews with over 6,500 residents, employees, and passers-by in the districts of Kamppi and Kluuvi.
     
As for public transport, the respondents regarded the metro as the most insecure and the buses as the most secure.
      No particular group of people was regarded as a specific problem in terms of security.
      The interviewees were also asked to give their own proposals on how to improve security in the city. Half of the respondents hoped for a continuous visible police presence, while one in four urged the number of security guards to be increased.
     
"By a long way, Kaisaniemi Park and the nearby main railway station are the focus of our security problems", says Mikko Virkamäki, the producer of the security survey, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday.
     
Virkamäki stressed that perceived insecurity is not the same as real insecurity.
      "However, it is the perception that has an effect on people's reactions, not the real situation on the ground", Virkamäki added.
      Inspector Mika Pasanen from the Helsinki Police Department reported that the number of assaults in public places has lately been on the increase.
      Insp. Pasanen noted further that compared with the actual events in Kaisaniemi Park, its reputation is much worse.
      The police has increased visible targeted surveillance in Helsinki. The city has around 1,300 to 1,400 police officers, of whom some 40 are transferred to problem places if required.
      The Helsinki Police Department also intends to improve the security of the city centre by increasing camera surveillance.
     
The security survey was conducted in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, the enterprises in the city centre, local residents, and the police.
      It is part of a more extensive study, covering the entire city, the results of which will be published in May.
     
The purpose of the study is to find concrete steps that would help to increase the feelings of security among citizens. In the course of April, the potential causes of insecurity will be assessed and measures to improve security will be discussed.
      Special Planner Kalle Koskivirta from the Safety and Preparedness Coordinating Division of the City's Administration Centre stressed that in the first place the objective is to use soft methods instead of batons.
      "It is a well-known fact that a clean and aesthetically pleasing environment is likely to increase feelings of security", Koskivirta concluded.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Bus passengers feel insecure particularly in Helsinki area (5.1.2007)
  Fear of violence increases on regional transport in Helsinki area (16.12.2005)

Links:
  City of Helsinki Administration Centre

Helsingin Sanomat