Violent robberies continue in downtown Helsinki

Street robbers have also threatened victims with knives in the city centre

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A few dozen muggings have occurred in downtown Helsinki over the last couple of months. On a few occations the victims have even been threatened with knives. The suspects are believed to be dark-skinned young men aged 15 to 22 of foreign origin.
     
"It seems that the common denominator in all these robberies is that both the offenders and victims are young. However, the muggers are not part of a regular gang and the offenders have varied in these robberies", says Inspector Mauri Salomaa of the Helsinki Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division.
      The most recent armed robbery occurred in front of Fredrikinkatu 48 early on Sunday morning. A gang of three men mugged a couple and made off with a small amount of money.
      "In a typical mugging, a group of men surround the victims and claim money and mobile phones", Salomaa states.
     
Last Friday a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were assaulted and robbed in the Kaisaniemi park.
      On Sunday September 11th, a young man was threatened with a knife and forced to get into a car parked in front of the Stockmann department store. He was then driven to Töölö, where he was made to use his bank card and withdraw money from a cashpoint machine.
      On September 5th, two foreign men threatened the shop assistant of the Pikkolo corner shop in Liisankatu with a knife and robbed the store. The men have now been arrested.
     
Even in many of the less violent robberies the victims have been assaulted without warning and some have been kicked in the head. Most muggings have occurred in the evening or at night in the Kaisaniemi or Kaivopuisto parks.
      A few weeks ago, police advised people to avoid going alone to downtown Helsinki after dark and to suspicious places in particular. As a result of the increased number of muggings, the Helsinki downtown police precinct set up a special group to investigate the reported robberies. How come the city centre is still terrorised by the muggers and they haven't been caught?
      "It takes time when the police is forced to start an investigation from scratch. However, our enquiries have been going well and the situation seems quite good now", reports Chief Inspector Olli Yliskoski of the Helsinki downtown police precinct.
      The Criminal Investigation Division is in charge of the assault and aggravated robbery inquiries and the Helsinki downtown police precinct investigates the less violent muggings. The police are urging any potential eye-witnesses to contact them on the downtown precinct's telephone number: (09) 189 4175. Possible robbery victims are to phone immediately after the assault on the emergency number 10022.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Several violent robberies in downtown Helsinki (9.9.2005):

Helsingin Sanomat