Street gangs | “It’s not honest to turn a blind eye” – Razmyar would introduce tougher measures for juvenile delinquents

Helsinki deputy mayor Nasima Razmyar (sd) proposes tougher sanctions than the current one for young people who repeatedly commit crimes.

As means, he raises the possibility of lowering the minimum age limit for punishments, reviewing the obligation to pay compensation and, for example, community service or fines, not so much prison.

Razmyar is responsible for education and training in the city of Helsinki.

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Street gangs and related violence and crime are, in Razmyar’s opinion, an issue whose existence must be acknowledged and to solve which new means must be brought into the discussion.

He brings up the interview he gave to HS in the fall, where he told about young people showing up in Helsinki schools with sharp weapons.

“Many came then to say that they don’t know this kind of reality. But it exists, I’ve been around schools, and it’s not fair to turn a blind eye,” says Razmyar.

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Still younger people commit crimes, and it’s a sad phenomenon, says Razmyar.

Should the solution be an approach where the actions of young people are looked at from two angles: there are young people who are just fooling around and young people who repeatedly commit serious crimes because there are no serious punishments for minors?

“Should we think about tougher methods if the crimes continue? And doesn’t other intervention change the situation?”

Razmyar says he means repeated robberies, violence, threats and the use of edged weapons.

“We could think about having some sanctions for those young people right away. I’m not saying prison, but fines or community service.”

As a minor the committed crimes could alternatively be taken into account when coming of age. The punishment would therefore be tougher later if the perpetrator commits new crimes after becoming an adult.

“When you’re young, you may commit crimes with the idea that you won’t be held accountable for them. The fear that something will follow from this must strike the minds of these young people.”

According to Razmyar, adults should remember their responsibilities. Every juvenile delinquent has once been a child, and according to Razmyar, adults have not been able to help in time.

Deputy Mayor lessons learned from his recent business trip to The Hague. He says he also listened to the speeches of his Swedish colleagues there. According to Razmyar, the situation seems to have escalated in some neighborhoods of Stockholm after the city and the police have withdrawn their services from them.

“When the municipality or services disappear, chaos ensues. If management and order are not under public control, someone else will seek control. We are not here in that situation, but we target customized services to areas where support is needed.”

According to Razmyar, if a young person joins a street gang or otherwise commits illegal acts and “fools around”, there should still be an opportunity for help from child protection and other multi-professional support services.

“We don’t want fools to be punished. We also need a lot more youth activities, school coaches and youth activities coming to school.”

According to the deputy mayor, prevention is always a human and societal priority.

Multi the expert is against lowering the minimum age limit for punishments. Razmyar says he understands that too and states that better choices can still be made in Helsinki and cooperation with the police is possible.

“It would be important to discuss this widely among experts and decision-makers. Harder methods should also be genuinely considered.”

In their own statement yesterday, the Helsinki police leadership called for a faster criminal and legal process.