The number of robberies and other street violence committed by young people is on the rise, even though actual street gang activity has declined in Turku.
Street gang activity has disappeared in Turku, the police say. HS news in July 2023 from the influential youth group “H-Block” in the Halisten district, which is Turku's first and so far the only group that meets the definition of a street gang.
Crime Commissioner Juha Kainonen Southwest Finland police say that in the summer and early fall of 2023, the police also estimate that another youth group from Turku came close to fulfilling the definition of a street gang. However, nothing has been heard about it since the beginning of autumn, and H-Block's activities were also brought under control “using coercive means”.
“Nothing has come to light even as individual acts. All kinds of street gang activity in our area have remained very quiet,” Kainonen says.
Kainonen thinks that the activities of the second group may have stopped after the police started investigating the first criminal suspicions.
Kainonen sees the development as positive, as the situation could escalate into mutual contacts if there were more street gangs. He reminds that, however, the situation does not remove concerns about other street violence.
Although actual street gang activity has declined in Turku, the number of robberies and other street violence committed by young people is on the rise.
“In that respect, the situation is not good”, Kainonen describes.
KainoSen another group suspected of being a street gang was identified in a certain area.
“It also involved making rap music, which is typical and a kind of threat through that. Of course, that alone does not make a street gang, but we ended up with it after the first suspicions of crime.”
The criminal suspicions were related to, among other things, drug crimes. According to the police line, Kainonen does not agree to tell the area where the group has affected.
The profile of H-Block and the other suspected street gang is similar: they mostly consist of young men in their twenties who are second-generation immigrants.
Kainonen does not believe that street gangs will become active again towards spring and warmer weather.
“These groups also operate elsewhere than outside.”
The usual however, the city dweller is not comforted by whether it is street gang activity according to the official definition or not, if he becomes a victim of street violence.
Is it safe to stay outside in Turku?
“There is always the possibility that you will become a victim of a crime if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, there is no increased risk in any area in Finland proper. You should keep common sense and not try to provoke anything with your own actions, even if it doesn't violate the law,” says Kainonen.
Most of the street violence among young people is directed at other young people.
The police define street gangs as groups stigmatized in certain neighborhoods, in which several identified persons operate. In addition, it is possible to identify hierarchy and leadership figures among the group.
Typically, street gangs engage in criminal activities and are indifferent or negative towards organized society.
Groups often use identifiers based on the name of the district or postal code. Groups highlight their neighborhoods on social media and when dealing with the police.
Source: Police
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