According to Statistics Finland, a total of 2,800 suspected robberies were reported to the Finnish police last year. The number represents an increase of 17.9% compared to the previous year.
According to the data, the number of reported robberies increased the most in Oulu, Central Finland, Häme and Southwest Finland. The number of reported robberies in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area last year was about the same as in 2022.
Chief Inspector Janne Koskela of the Oulu Police Department tells Finnish Yle that the increase in the number of robberies in the city seems to be due to the increasingly violent behavior of young people.
– It seems that young people don’t always seem to understand how serious it is when violence is used or threatened, says Koskela.
The county recorded a total of 232 aggravated assaults last year, an increase of 45.7 percent compared to 2022. Koskela notes, however, that the 2023 figure is similar to that of 2021 and in line with long-term trends.
Robbery is defined in Finland as theft involving violence or the threat of violence, but also includes extortion.
Reported murders historically low
About 43,000 crimes were committed in Finland last year that threatened the life or health of the victim, according to Statistics Finland data, a 6.5 percent increase from 2022.
Police across the country dealt with a total of 62 suspected murders in 2023, 17 fewer than the previous year. At the same time, 40,700 assaults were reported to the authorities, an increase of 6.8 percent.
Kimmo Haapakangas of Statistics Finland noted that the number of reported murders is lower than at any time since the Second World War.
– The statistics for 1970, when there were 56 homicides, are not comparable, as a major reform of the Finnish Criminal Code was made at that time, which makes comparisons difficult, Haapakangas emphasized.
