Youths doing their best but some have problems

Although young people in general do better than ever, some of them have serious problems, wrote a police official in the wake of youth crime in the Greater Helsinki during the recent weeks.

Police Inspector Timo Kilpeläinen from the National Police Board in a blog post published on the police website urged everyone to keep in mind that there are no simple answers to complex questions, said the National Police Board in a press release.

“We must understand that statistics only give numeric information and tell us nothing about the real qualitative circumstances. Behind each figure there are many human stories, criminals as well as their victims and their friends and family members,” wrote Kilpeläinen.

Kilpeläinen also pointed out that young people have not been heard in the debate.

“They know more about their own situation than anyone else, and we should ask them and talk to them, instead of merely looking at them as objects. Young people are not a homogenous group, and they should not be seen or treated as such.”

Even if young people in general do better than ever, some of them have serious problems.

“We must recognise the fact that in cities, we have young people who are not doing well at all. They have moved past juvenile misdemeanour and are committing serious criminal acts and causing bodily harm to others, in some cases even homicide or attempted homicide. Too many of them have also been the target of crime in their own life. They have fallen hard through all the safety nets of society.”

According to Kilpeläinen, all authorities and organisations need more resources and new legislation that supports their operations. They may also need extended authority in areas such as child welfare.

“We must build stronger cooperation in the anchor teams that consist of workers from different organisations. The teams must have a real ability and opportunity to act and to help each individual at the right time in the right way. Psychiatric nurses and the representatives of youth services and education in particular are welcome in these teams, if not already members. The police want to create a national model for addressing juvenile crime in an effective manner. We already have positive experience of this in Helsinki,” said Kilpeläinen in his post.