Widespread sense of insecurity in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi Park at night

Fears on the rise, even if crimes are not

print this

According to recent surveys on personal safety and security in Helsinki, almost 50% of the female respondents feel scared when walking alone in the city centre, and some 30% of the males admitted feeling unsafe. Feelings of insecurity have increased even though the number of violent crimes has not gone up.
     
Last month when Helsingin Sanomat asked its readers to name the most frightening places in Helsinki, one in three respondents mentioned the Central Railway Station and the Kaisaniemi Park.
      Ossi Yliskoski of the planning unit of the Helsinki Police agrees that these are the places to be avoided at night.
      "For example, robberies tend to concentrate on the Railway Station area and on the Kurvi neighbourhood in Helsinki's district of Kallio", he notes.
      Yliskoski is in charge of statistics, and his findings indicate that while an ordinary citizen can be robbed at night, it is very unlikely that he or she will become a target of violence.
     
Over the period of August-September, more than 20 pedestrians were robbed in downtown Helsinki.
      As a result of the increased number of muggings, the Helsinki downtown police precinct set up a special group in September to investigate the reported robberies. Police also advised people to avoid going alone to downtown Helsinki and to suspicious places in particular after dark.
      Apparently, the Kaisaniemi Park is one of the places to be avoided - the majority of robberies have occurred there.
      According to the surveys, it is precisely the people who seldom go to these places who are the most scared of all, including middle-aged and older women. Their insecurity is based on hearsay, imagination, and news reports.
      While young people in general feel less insecure, females are scared of rapists in particular. On the other hand, young men are the least scared of all, even though they are the most obvious targets of violence.
      According to the media, many recent robberies have followed a similar pattern: First somebody approaches a victim asking for cigarettes. Suddenly a larger group surrounds him, starting to threaten or assault him. Besides cigarettes, even wallets and mobile phones have been demanded.
     
The quiet and secluded Kaisaniemi Park is not the best place to walk in at night when it is dark, especially when drunk.
     
The number of violent crimesin the city is twice as great as in the countryside. Furthermore, immigrants are more frequently targets of violence: double the number of the original population. The survey Suomalaiset väkivallan uhreina (Finns as targets of violence) shows that the most frequent victims of violence are found among the people of Somali background.
      In addition to the questionnaire by Helsingin Sanomat, the recent surveys on personal safety and security include those conducted by the National Research Institute of Legal Policy and by the Police College of Finland.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Several violent robberies in downtown Helsinki (9.9.2005)
  Survey: Helsinki citizens feel safe in familiar streets (14.6.2005)

Links:
  The National Research Institute of Legal Policy
  The Police College of Finland

Helsingin Sanomat