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Police nab more than 5,500 speeders in a day, despite advance warning

Officers also caught 33 wanted fugitives and uncovered 60 other violations during a 24-hour operation.

Poliisin nopeusvalvontaa.
Officers caught almost 1,000 hasty drivers, with automated speed cameras nabbing more than 4,500. Image: Jyrki Lyytikkä / Yle
  • Yle News

Finnish police took part in a Europe-wide crackdown on speeding on Wednesday, catching 5,558 motorists driving above the speed limit.

Automatic speed enforcement devices caught more than 4,500 speeders, while police officers detected nearly 1,000 cases during a 24-hour period.

Inspector Kari Onninen of the National Police Board noted that the number of speeders was up by nearly eight percent from a similar crackdown a year ago. That campaign netted 5,159 speeding drivers.

This year's law enforcement operation also turned up 33 individuals who were wanted by authorities, as well as 60 other criminal offences.

The round-the-clock enforcement marathon began at midnight on Tuesday night. It was carried out in tandem with police forces in more than 20 European countries.

As usual, law enforcement officials had announced the day of stepped-up surveillance ahead of time through press releases and social media.

Police say the speed monitoring was focused on built-up areas and accident black spots.