Robberies committed by minors have dropped abruptly in downtown Helsinki

Last summer’s phenomenon in the capital is no more, and both the suburbs and the centre have been quiet

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Last summer, in more than half of the robberies reported to the Helsinki Police Department, the suspects were underage children. This year the trend has changed. Only sporadic robberies with minors as suspected perpetrators have been reported to the police.
      Detective Chief Inspector Tuomo Lotta from the Helsinki PD says that it is typical that the number of crimes committed by children varies.
      According to Lotta, these phenomena come and go, and in the current year there has been no problem at all.
     
Susanna Ylimys, who is responsible for the voluntary operation of Walkers young people’s cafés at Aseman lapset (”Children of the Station”), a Helsinki-based charity organisation in the field of youth work, says that Walkers’ voluntary workers who patrol the streets have not heard of any robberies during the spring and the current summer.
      ”The city centre and the suburbs are very quiet in the summertime, as young people are holidaying”, says Ylimys. According to her, the first months of the year have been extremely peaceful in every respect in downtown Helsinki.
      Last summer, after hearing about the spate of robberies, Walkers increased the number of volunteers patrolling at Kamppi.
      ”The situation calmed down when we showed up in the shopping centre area”, Ylimys reports.
     
According to Ylimys, the robberies by minors were a crime-wave that disappeared as fast as it had come.
      Even though grown-up people feel that the robberies took place only a while ago, young people might think that they are already past and gone.
      ”Young people live a hectic life. A short moment may be a long time for them”, Ylimys notes.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Number of assaults turned downward (30.5.2012)

See also:
  Pickpockets caught red-handed (2.8.2011)

Helsingin Sanomat